8:15 PM, and Neight still isn’t back. According to the schedule he himself set, he should have returned long ago to wrap up and prepare dinner. I was starting to get seriously worried. What if something happened to him? What if he was attacked, tripped over a protruding root and broke his leg, or got lost in the endless forest…? I felt like I ran through a million scenarios in my head of what could have gone wrong.
Maybe I should go look for him? But where? I can only follow the known path marked on the trees. I have no weapon. If I get attacked, I won’t be able to defend myself. I’ll wait another 15 minutes…
Time was dragging on unbearably slowly. The waiting was torture. I kept nervously pacing up and down the corridor.
Something definitely happened to him. I told him to stay, but no, he didn’t listen to me! I kept spiraling.
Finally, the 15 minutes passed. 8:30 PM, and still no sign of Neight.
What should I do? I panicked. Go outside? Try calling out to him in the forest?
My pulse quickened, and I could hear my heart pounding. I was terrified of going outside alone, but I couldn’t just wait any longer. My legs felt like lead as I made my way to the cabin and, with trembling hands, grabbed my helmet. I took a few deep breaths, trying to prepare myself for the dangerous rescue mission, and just as I was determined to leave the cabin, I heard a familiar hissing sound coming from the airlock. Forgetting about the pain and everything else, I dashed to the exit.
The door opened, and Neight entered with an impassive expression. He froze for a moment, probably not expecting me to be there to greet him, but then he smiled slightly. I wanted to yell at him, to tell him how angry I was for making me worry so much, for thinking I was all alone on this stupid planet, and so much more, but my attention was caught by something bright in Neight’s right hand. It was a large bird, about the size of a grown goose, with long, shimmering emerald feathers. Its giant wings trailed lifelessly along the floor, and there was a contrasting crimson stain spreading across its chest. It hurt to look at the poor creature, so I quickly turned my gaze away and then looked at Neight, bewildered.
“Sorry. I was a bit delayed, but as you can see, I didn’t come back empty-handed,” he said proudly and headed toward the storage room. I followed him.
“That bird…” I began, but couldn’t find the words to continue.
“We can’t survive on just vegetables and fruit,” he replied, pressing buttons on the control panel to open one of the compartments. “We have a lot of work ahead, which means we need to stock up on strength and energy. We can’t do that without meat.”
I said nothing in response, just nodded silently, lowering my head.
“Don’t be upset,” he tried to reassure me. “It’s part of life. The death of this bird won’t be in vain. It’ll help us survive. One day, our bodies will nourish the earth, feeding other living organisms, so you could consider it a fair exchange.”
Damn it, is he trying to comfort me or completely break me down?
Seeing that I wasn’t particularly moved by his words, Neight sighed heavily.
“Well, in any case, let’s leave preparing it for tomorrow afternoon,” he said, placing the bird’s lifeless body into a large, cold storage compartment that had just opened. “It’s already pretty late, and you must be hungry. You can rest for now, and I’ll take care of dinner.”
Neight closed the refrigerated compartment and was about to approach the container with the greenvegs when I suddenly remembered.
“Neight, there’s something… well, while you were gone, I already made us something to eat,” I stammered.
He stopped abruptly, turning around to look at me with surprise and even some displeasure.
“What? Wait, we didn’t agree on that,” he began, barely keeping his voice calm.
“Yeah, but I thought I could help… Besides, you’re probably tired after scouting and might not feel like dealing with dinner,” I tried to offer some reasoning.
“I’m not tired. And if you had the energy and really wanted to help, you should have stuck to the plan we discussed and preserved more greenvegs.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
On one hand, his remark was fair, but on the other, it hurt that my initiative wasn’t appreciated. Besides, he himself was late and didn’t return on time, yet the complaints were somehow directed only at me.
“I really did try… We're not going to throw away prepared food, are we?”
Neight sighed, clearly displeased.
“Alright, let’s go eat.”
----------------------------------------
"Enjoy your meal," I wished him as I started eating. Neight, however, eyed his dish suspiciously, as if trying to break it down into atoms and analyze its composition.
What is he even looking for? He can’t possibly think I’m trying to poison him, right?
As I pondered this, it occurred to me that it was as if we had switched roles. Now it was his turn to trust me and try a dish with an unfamiliar composition, prepared by someone else.
Funny how things turned out, I thought, smirking slightly.
Meanwhile, Neight finally made up his mind and cautiously scooped up a small amount of the green puree with his spoon. After smelling it first, he put it into his mouth. Watching him out of the corner of my eye and trying to maintain a neutral expression, I could barely contain my laughter. The situation seemed so comical to me. But as Neight tasted the dish, he froze, holding his breath. A sparkle appeared in his eyes, and he began eating the dish confidently, spoonful after spoonful, pausing occasionally as if savoring it with his eyes closed in pleasure. I widened my eyes, no longer able to hide my surprise.
I figured he would like it, but to this extent…
Though my dish was better-tasting, it wasn’t a masterpiece—just edible, ordinary food. I couldn’t help but wonder how Neight had been living until now. Had he been in unbearable conditions for a long time, or maybe even since birth? It seemed like he had spent his entire life struggling to survive, eating tasteless masses just to keep going. Could it be that he had been experimented on since childhood? I genuinely felt sorry for him.
While I was lost in thought, Neight had already emptied his plate, licking his lips contentedly at the end. Then he seemed to snap out of it, as his expression quickly shifted back to calm and neutral.
"Thank you for the meal. It was truly... delicious," he said.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"How did you prepare it? In what order? What did you add?" he suddenly started asking, and I was ready to answer, but then I realized something. Right now, cooking was my only advantage. If I laid out all the information, he would once again have complete superiority. Even though there was nothing extraordinary about my recipe, he hadn’t managed to make it taste the same. It was surprising that with such skills in preparing ingredients, he couldn’t figure out the basic things! He didn’t understand that the dish was different simply because of the salt and the absence of those strange berries? Well, no, I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity and not reveal all my cards. At least, not until I find other means of leverage.
"You know, I don’t think you should bother yourself with this," I said smugly. "You were right. It’s better if everyone sticks to what they already know. No point in wasting time learning new things."
Neight narrowed his eyes in displeasure at hearing his own words turned against him, while I inwardly celebrated this small act of revenge.
"Alright, I got your point," he said calmly. "How could I not have thought of that?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in his last sentence, which made me feel a bit uneasy.
"So, you’re in charge of cooking now, right? Since you’re better at it," he added.
"Seems like it," I replied cautiously.
And then it hit me—what I’d gotten myself into. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be entirely on me. Plus, with our schedule, I’d have to wake up early every single day. On top of that, I wasn’t nearly as fast at prepearing ingredients as Neight, meaning I’d have to allot even more time for meal prep.
What an idiot I am!
"By the way, since you’re the culinary expert here," Neight continued nonchalantly, "I’m sure you can handle butchering the bird yourself too."
That creep! He’s really going for the jugular, isn’t he?
My mood plummeted. I had no idea how to get out of this situation without admitting defeat.
Maybe I should just give in and tell him the recipe?
Noticing my sudden change in demeanor, Neight seemed to hesitate. Perhaps he realized he’d gone too far.
"Sorry… maybe I overdid it and put too much pressure on you," he said apologetically. "Let’s split the duties? I can handle the more complicated tasks, like butchering. Sound good?"
"Yeah… I think you’d do a better job at that," I said, feeling a bit more encouraged.
"If you want, we can also take turns cooking. My dishes probably won’t be as tasty as yours, but at least you wouldn’t be overwhelmed."
"No, I can manage. Thanks for offering, but I’m ready to take on these responsibilities myself," I responded with newfound determination.
"Are you sure?" Neight asked.
"Yes."
Although the thought of early mornings and increased responsibility initially intimidated me, after reconsidering, I decided that I wanted to take on this burden. After all, we’re surviving here, and that means giving it our all.
"Alright, then it’s settled. But if you ever feel like you need help, don’t hesitate to ask."
"Got it," I nodded, feeling satisfied.
And so, I gained new responsibilities, which gave me a sense of contributing more to our shared survival effort.