Fledging

Chapter 21

AN: NEW CHAPTER!! I've been waiting to get the last part of this chapter out for sooo long now! Yay! Please tell me what you think!  I NEED TO KNOW.... well it'd be really nice at least. :p Happy Labor Day weekend for those who celebrate it! Back to school for a lot of people too, whoo!

Chapter 21

                The town below was crowded when Kenneth, Alida, Amiri and I decided to grab something to eat.  We walked quickly down the ramp to ground level only to be greeted by a throng of people.  Kenneth took the lead, weaving his way expertly through the crowd as Alida and I kept close to him, slipping through the wake that he was creating.

We stopped at a small wooden stand where a male Skaal stood over a large fire.  A slab of rock was positioned atop the flames, upon which sat pieces of strange meat that seemed to have a shiny under side.

                “Greetings Kaziv, what’s on the menu today?” Kenneth said, sliding up to the bar that surrounded the small stand.

                “More cavefish,” he grunted, flipping one of the pieces over on its back.

                “Got enough for three yet?”  Turning to the two of us he said, “Kaziv here is one of the best cooks around, doesn’t get much better than this.”

                “And don’t you forget it boy,” the Skaal growled, grinning at Kenneth with his fangs bared.  I felt myself stiffen up in fear but Kenneth just laughed it off asking,

                “So you got anything ready yet?”

                “This just finished.”  Kaziv took out a large slate rock and laid a few slabs of the meat on top of it.  He then gave each of us two long sticks.  I looked at them perplexed.

                “Like this,” Kenneth picked up his pair of sticks and held them expertly between his fingers.  With practiced ease, he opened up the sticks and sliced the soft meat.  Quickly scooping up the small chunk, he raised it to his mouth and ate it.

                I tried to copy his movements, fumbling with the strange sticks before I got the hang of it.

I tried to offer Amiri a slice which he inspected before turning his head all the way around in dismissal.

                It would have been fine before you burned it.

                It’s not burnt, just cooked.

                Same thing, I don’t like my food tasting like smoke or flames.

                Fine more for me then.

Soon the food was gone and after Kenneth returned the slate and thanked the Skaal, we left the stand to explore.

                Amiri, having not eaten yet, went off in search for the rodents that Keever had mentioned.  Meanwhile, Kenneth showed us around.  He pointed out places that he usually went or where some of his friends used to live.  Evidently a lot of them had moved on to different bases or cities.  From the sound of it, some of them weren’t anywhere on this earth anymore.  I had wondered briefly what species he had made friends with, but he never specified and I didn’t feel the need to ask, not knowing how I would feel had he said Skaal.

                “And this is the ground entrance to the library.  It goes up almost the entire length of the base.  We have acquired all kinds of works over the years, it’s quite an extensive collection.”