The silence was deafening, nobody moved and they all seemed to be staring in shock at Thomas. Even Delvik was frozen in disbelief momentarily, “what do you mean, who wants barbecue? What even is barbecue?” he asked Thomas.

In reply, Thomas simply pointed at the cart, waved his hand over the piles of meats, vegetables, and even fruits, “Only the most superior way to cook and eat food ever created” he said with a grin, “I even had some classic sauces and spices made, and of course some beer.”

A ripple went through the gathered hunters at the sight of the food, as their minds began processing what was before them. Thomas watched them carefully, as one began to speak in their language, quickly followed by more until it appeared multiple conversions were happening. Thomas had no idea what they were saying, so he looked to Delvik. “They are questioning your purpose for this, some think it is poisoned or some other trick” Delvik said.

Thomas opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the one he thought was the leader. “What is meaning of this Human?’ he asked Thomas.

Both Thomas and Delvik looked shocked at the revelation, they looked to each other and then to Anzis before both trying to speak at once. Thomas closed his mouth and nodded to Delvik, who asked “When did you learn to speak human?”

Anzis looked to Delvik “After you leave last season on long scout, Matrons want hunt leaders to know” and he turned his wary gaze to Thomas “to better fight Humans, protect tribe from Humans.”

Thomas processed what this hunter was saying, he thought it made sense, learn an enemy's language and you could spy on them more easily, get more information from prisoners. He had no brilliant idea to end generations of violence and hatred, didn't think he could honestly, but he did have a set of grills, a cart laden with food and drinks, and the willingness to try to show that not all humans were alike.

“I know there’s bad history between your people and mine, but I am not them. I just want to live in peace and make cool things that might help people.” Thomas said, “Look at Delvik, he stabbed me and tried to kill me when we first met, but then we talked, and shared good food and now I consider him a friend.”

Anzis had a look of disbelief on his face at the Humans words, his eyes moving from the Human to Delvik, seeing Delviks brief spike of embarrassment when the Human mentioned their first meeting, and then his smile at the end when he was called a friend. Two voices warred within his mind, one screaming to end this Human before it brings death and destruction to the tribe, the other reminding him that the Human fought alongside Delvik against the monstrous lizards and had done nothing hostile towards any of the hunting party.

Delvik watched Anzis, he felt sympathy for the hunt leader. He knew what instincts and thoughts were going through his head, he had after all had them himself. Fighting generational experience against an anomaly, and he knew he had to do something, to put his paw on the balance and tilt it towards a desirable outcome. “Anzis,” he said, speaking in their common language, “I know the thoughts in your head, I have had them myself. Thomas, the Human, could have killed me, he had the opportunity after I failed to land a killing blow, but he didn’t.”

Taking a deep breath, Delvik steeled his resolve and decided to take a risk. “This Human is different, he does not act or think like the others we have seen. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for our people, so please, trust in me, in my friend!”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Thomas stayed silent as Delvik spoke, trusting that his friend was trying to settle this peacefully. He stayed silent when his friend finished speaking and a deep quiet settled in over the gathering.

A simple bob of the head and a few chittered words had a path opening up before Thomas, and he let out a breath of relief. With a smile he began pushing the cart forward, “Delvik, let's get the grills setup in the back, we can see if we can get any of the tables fixed up after we get the grills started up for your people.” he said as the two of them passed through the crowd.

Anzis watched as the strange Human assembled some strange contraptions and filled them with lumpy black rocks, and then his jaw dropped as the Human set fire to the rocks and placed a metal grid over the tops. He watched as the two began dragging the least destroyed tables and chairs into the open area. Anzis ordered a few of the more curious looking hunters to go help them, and sent others to keep lookout. No sense in leaving themselves vulnerable to scavengers he thought.

His nose twitched as a new scent filled the air, familiar but different enough to cause some confusion. Then he saw that the Human had started putting some kind of meat on the strange devices. The scent of strange spices began filling the air and he, along with many others of the hunting party just watched. They saw the Human putting meat and vegetables on a tiny wooden spear and setting them on the metal grill.

Delvik broke the spell the hunters were under by setting down a large, strange looking box with a loud thud. A dozen sets of eyes shifted from the grills to him, and with slow, exaggerated movements he reached into the box and pulled out a bottle. Smiling, he twisted the top and tossed the cap into a bucket he had set beside the box. Delvik took a long drink, nearly finishing half the bottle in one go before lowering it and letting out a satisfied sound.

Slowly at first, they approached Delvik in ones and twos as he sat at the table closest to the box. They asked about the smells, the Human and what he was drinking. He spoke with them as he sat there, told them of his experiences with the Humans food and drink, His heart beating wildly in his chest hidden by a calm face. He shared his beer with Anzis, explaining that it is similar to salp, but more bitter and in his opinion, better tasting.

Thomas watched as he cooked, saw Delvik breaking the ice with beer and conversation. Watched as some of Delviks people inched closer to the gills. This was what he wanted, peace and good food and hopefully new friends, or at least less hostile neighbors. Thomas called out to Delvik as he filled the first tray with shish kebabs and sausage, and the second tray with chicken. “Hey, this foods ready, i've got different sauces and some powdered seasonings they can try in the box on the cart,” he said, and Delvik simply nodded and carried the trays to the central table.

Anzis and every hunter watched as Delvik carried over two metal trays, balancing one in each hand and piled high with food. He would give the Human due credit, he was definitely delivering on the promise of feeding them all, Anzis thought to himself. All conversation seemed to taper off as the food was set down, and a dozen heads turned to Anzis as if seeking permission. Steeling his nerves, he reached out and picked up one of the skewers, nearly dropping it as the heat began to burn his fingers.

The first bite nearly resumed hostility as the watching hunters saw Anzis’s eyes roll back and he nearly fell out of his chair. Never before had he tasted food like this, the meat tender and juicy and full of flavor, the vegetables softened but still having a bit of crispness in the center. It was no wonder Delvik was on the Humans side if he had been getting food like this, he thought. Then he bit wood, breaking him out of his thoughts with a small flare of anger. Where did the food go, who had stolen his meal right out of his paws? Then he realized he had eaten the entire skewer, and quickly reached for another.

A flood of paws followed his to the tray, and Anzis decided that Delviks Human could stay, especially if there was more where this came from.