Walking back outside into the drizzle works just like a shower and washes out all the dust and grit that has gotten between my scales. It's not much of a bother but the sounds of grit rubbing together when I move is rather annoying. The lairs I was carving earlier I just ignored the sound but now it's annoying.

Time to get some carving material. Heading down into the tree line I search for a pine without connecting branches which is rather difficult. Maybe they are more disposed to having connecting branches? It's strange but if it works for them I'm not going to judge.

Finding one on the edge of the forest that isn't connected to other trees I work out the angle I need the tree to fall. Having it fall backwards into the forest would be annoying.

Time to be a lumber lizard.

Cutting into the tree with my claws fills the air with that pine smell and gets the immediate reaction I expected.

*Thunk*

Looking up at the tree I can see a pair of tree pests looking down at me. Guess this is their tree huh?

Not for long~!

Carving a wide groove into the base of the tree steadily increases the strength of the pine smell in the air. Now there are a ton of the pests gathering on the nearest branches to the tree I'm cutting down. The problem for them is that they can't get across, that is unless they glide on those wings of theirs and I don't think they will.

The tree is starting to sway now. Looking up at its residents I can see them chewing at a branch with their teeth...

Oh man, Flying treevurs! That is such a good name!

Moving out of the way before the branch hits me I get back to carving. Those pests are really starting to panic now! Taking a couple more hits across my head and back I start working in a rhythm, dodge a branch and carve the tree.

TIMBER!!!

Running to the side and getting ready I watch as the tree starts falling slightly off from where I wanted it to fall and the pests start to slowly glide to the ground with the wings on their back.

Easy pickings.

Catching them out of the air with my jaws and breaking their necks was rather simple, this is obviously the optimal hunting method for these things!

Looking up at the nearby trees I can see all of their neighbours disappearing back into the branches like ghosts. They really are camouflaged.

Placing my lunch on top of the tree I start the long and annoying task of getting it ready for transport.

Cutting the tree into sections is simple enough and the branches can be removed by clenching my claws around them. The annoying part is figuring out how I'm going to get the branches home in one go...

I'm just going to carry them individually this time and figure something out later... I really should have thought ahead about bringing the branches home...

I guess it is home now...

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Rolling the last log into my lair and putting it into the material pile is so satisfying. Almost as much as getting revenge!

Looking at my lunch I'm almost giddy. Sure they're ugly but they are made of MEAT.

Meat is the best, I no longer have doubts.

The nuts from the tree are in a fairly large pile nearby. Those can be eaten as snacks and be eaten for breakfast. A good food source but nothing compared to meat. The top of the tree was filled with them making the top fourth of the tree useless. Rather annoying since wood is easy carving practice...

Now I do believe it's time for dinner and tonight I feel like eating something different...

Something cooked.

Piling the dryer branches near the entrance I start skinning and gutting my food. I'm rather used to it by now... it is rather disgusting though...

How should I cook them? On a flat rock? Or maybe on a skewer? Meat skewers sound nice and I don't have to make a plate or bowl to eat out of.

Skewers it is!

These bat things are really weird... they're like a mix of rodents given a bat theme and bug eyes...

Putting the meat on sharpened sticks is easy enough although there are some pieces that might be questionable. Chucking the nasty bits and tattered fur outside I gather my skewers and start sparking at my fire which results in absolutely...

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Nothing.

Seriously? Are they too wet or something? Maybe I should let the rest of the wood dry out so I can burn it when I need to...

Time for dragon napalm!

A small spray of liquid flame and I have a roaring fire going with a whitish blue core. A little dangerous and I'm not quite sure how hot it is but in my opinion?

It's absolutely perfect.

Holding a skewer over the fire fills the lair with a rather strong smell... you're supposed to bleed your kills right? Maybe this is why? The smell is super strong!

The cooking meat smell is still rather nice and I can see the meat slowly browning already! Rotating the skewer a few more times I can see fat dripping off the meat and sizzling as it hits the fire...

I think I might cry... it's beautiful.

Taking a bite is one of the greatest moments in my life. I will NEVER go without cooked food again!

Finishing the skewer quickly I start with the second...

and third...

and fourth...

And I'm out of skewers...

FUCK!!!

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Chewing on my cold nuts looking at my fire I keep thinking about the taste of the skewers...

And how they could be improved...

I'm not the greatest cook, I know this for a fact. But there are many methods of cooking and many ways of improving taste. Such as spices. I know deer lick rocks for salt but I haven't seen any deer so there's little chance of me finding rock salt that way. I could roast some meat with pine needles but I feel like that will get old fast...

I could make charcoal? That is... if it would stop raining... how long is it going to rain anyway? It's been nearly a week now!

Where was I? Oh yeah, cooking!

I could make stew perhaps? I just need to put a large stone bowl over a fire... I should look for some good plants to eat... and I could use something better to cook with. Ovens? Making ovens would be a good idea! A decent fire pit would be good too! Those skewers were delicious!

I definitely need to make a kitchen. I can make a temporary one in a nearby cave until I'm ready to put one in my lair. I can practice carving the ovens and such while I'm at it!

Taking another drink out of the water bowl that's just outside the entrance reminds me that I need to make a distillery or something. Drinking rainwater all the time isn't healthy.

Can't really think of anything better to do right now... I have a stockpile of pine and bugs swarm meat so there's no point in cutting down another tree. My water quality does need an improvement above rainwater...

I guess I'm making a distillery! I need something to contain the fire and hold up the lid, a stone bowl for the water and another piece of stone to collect the steam and guide it into another bowl...

That's a lot of stone...

Leaving my lair I look for large stones and boulders to carve the bowls and other parts out of. This is going to be annoying...

Maybe I can carve the frame into a cave wall with a stream? That would be much easier and the water would be much closer. I'm kind of getting used to walking on my hind claws but it's still extremely uncomfortable.

Picking the nearest cave to my lair with a stream I make my way across. The ground on the mountainside is covered in gravel, stones and wet patches of mud that are really slippery so it's a careful trek.

Inside the cave itself the water is coming out of a small hole in the wall. The cave itself isn't that large but it's at least large enough for what I'm doing. Time to get carving!

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Test number one!

Putting the bowl of water into my setup and filling the basin beneath with a little dragon napalm immediately causes problems. Mainly the stone melting...

What the fuck am I breathing!!?

Why would I need to breath fire that melts rock!? What possible need is there? Melting castles? Destroying dwarf fortresses?

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Test number two!

Filling the basin that was repaired with a large amount of stone dust with burning branches I can see the water slowly heating up. It's not fast but it's working.

Very slowly...

Oh so slowly...

E~ver so slowly...

I'm making a tray.

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Test three!

Fire is in basin.

Water tray is above fire.

Water is boiling.

Water is overflowing...

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Test four.

Deeper tray is above fire.

The water is boiling.

Steam is rising.

The steam is condensing...

And it's not following the funnel...

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Final attempt for the day.

The new lid is on the condenser and the fire is in the basin. The water tray is above the fire on the shelf and it's starting to boil. Steam is rising... and condensing on the lid...

And it's flowing down and collecting in the collection bowl.

Success. It's a beautiful word.

Drinking the small amount of water is rather unsatisfying. It doesn't taste any different and it feels like something is missing...

At least it's healthy right?

Figuring out how to get the distillery working was a pain in the ass!

This would have been so much easier with access to the internet... everything would be... I wouldn't have to keep guessing about everything... I could learn what I need to instead of struggling until I find a solution...

I could read...

I look at pictures of plants...

I want to go home...

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Looking at the darkening sky I probably have a couple hours at most before dark. I could keep the fire going with a few branches and get some carving practice in... yeah... I'll do that. I don't really feel like sleeping right now...

Scratching patterns into one of the logs I collected with the tip of my claw I watch the outside world fade to black leaving only my lit up cave in the sea of darkness.

At least I'm alone.

Humming a slow tune to myself I slowly immerse myself in my carving. The humming and cracks of the fire punctuating the relative silence.

Carving the squares and rectangles from doors, some simple patterns, medieval weapons, small birds in flight or nestled in nooks, foxes in dens as rabbits charge overhead, trees full of flowers, clouds full of water, rivers and streams, a small window full of plants, my old apartment...

Of course everything I carved looked terrible. But that was why I practiced.

How else am I supposed to improve?

I carved the flowers I'd grown and the plants I'd seen, fish and stars. Moons and cars. Anything I could think of. I carved whatever crossed my mind as I thought.

The long bear was fun to carve and the puff tail marten I carved cuddling its tail to sleep is about as adorable as I could make it. I didn't carve the pests because they don't deserve to be carved. The murder rabbits got hidden between the plants. Slowly my carving began covering the log growing more elaborate as I went, Mixing the carvings together to become scenes. Small forests and fields with lakes bordering cities.

Slowly whittling, carving and scratching I start drifting to sleep. Slowly drifting away. Humming all the while.