My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Zachary’s Cooking Lessons.

The cubs had lollipops in their mouths as they gathered in groups and climbed trees to snap off branches. They even peeled off the bark for them.

Zachary looked at the grunt-beast Matthew had brought back. He cut half the meat into thin slices and. chunks, then marinated them in advance with wild scallions and ginger. He also added some apples and wild berries to make the meat more tender.

The thin slices would taste better when pan-fried. He mixed them with mushrooms and laid them on a stone slab, where they sizzled loudly. The chunks were skewered and placed straight over the fire. They turned crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, making them satisfying and filling.

He used the fatty parts of the grunt-beast to render oil. Then he cut the lean meat into strips and fried it into jerky. The pork belly was stir-fried with wild scallions, which smelled great too.

They had just started cooking when the therians working hard inside the cave caught the smell. One by one, they used the excuse of carrying broken stones to gather around.

“What kind of food is this?”

“It smells so good!”

“That golden liquid!”

Yael pushed past Kyle and Ethan, who were blocking him. “That’s oil. Zachary is frying jerky.”

Quincy waved at Yael helplessly. “Go back to work.”

“Alright, alright, back to work!” Yael listened right away. He dragged the drooling therians away with him.

Elias added firewood while chewing on freshly made jerky. He hummed happily to himself.

Zachary looked at the food in front of him and decided to make another pot of soup. He remembered the meatball soup from yesterday tasted good. He cut out some balanced fatty and lean meat, chopped it into small pieces, and smashed it with a stone.

Quincy and Elias asked, “Zachary, what are you doing?”

“I’m making meatballs. Smashing it makes the texture better.”

The therians heard the noise and kept glancing toward the cooking area. They had never seen this way of cooking before, so they were curious.

Some of them asked if they could help, but Zachary smiled and shook his head. He had just looked inside the cave and knew they were working hard. Every strike took strength.

The cubs came back from the forest and rushed over to Zachary, holding up eating sticks. They even compared which looked better along the way.

When they saw Zachary smashing the meat with a stone, they leaned in curiously. “Does the meat have to get hit, too?”

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Chapter 40 Zachary’s Cooking Lessons

Zachary laughed. “It makes it taste better.”

“Then my butt should taste good too.” One cub rubbed his backside. “Sire likes to hit me there.”

Elias burst out laughing. He couldn’t hold it in at all.

The cubs heard about tasty food and got excited right away. “We’ll help you!”

“Yeah, leave it to us!”

Quincy and Elias clapped their hands, happy to relax. “Then work hard! We’ll use this to make something delicious later.”

“Okay!”

“I’ll do this!”

“Let me handle that!”

The cubs quickly took their spots and gathered together. They worked hard with full energy.

Zachary watched the scene before him. It wasn’t the first time he had been touched by the simple and honest nature of the Black Panther Tribe.

After the meat paste was ready, he added scallion and ginger water along with egg. Then he started cooking the meatballs.

Quincy and Elias watched for a while and learned how to squeeze out the meatballs. They waved their hands and took over the job.

Zachary finally had some free time. He made a pot of sweet fruit drink/using wild berries, apples, and honey for the cubs.

When it was almost done, Zachary served a bowl to Quincy and Elias first so they could sit aside and rest.

The cubs stood neatly around the pot. Their eyes were glued to it, and they quietly swallowed their saliva.

Taylor eagerly stepped forward. “I’ll serve it!”

Zachary handed him the ladle. The child immediately filled a big bowl for Jaden.

The other cubs quickly lined up, just like kids in a school lunch line. Each one held a bowl and waited for their turn.

Zachary had made a lot, so he called the working therians/over to take a break and drink some to soothe their throats.

They looked at the red and pink fruits in the bowl. At first, they took a careful sip. The moment they tasted it, their eyes lit up. They gulped it down in one go.

Voices of amazement rose one after another. Some therians held their bowls and asked carefully if they could have another.

“Of course.” Zachary filled their bowls again right away.

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Chapter 40 Zachary’s Cooking Lessons

The others saw this and rushed over too. “Zachary, I want some too!”

Quincy and Elias put down their bowls and came over to help.

Matthew was still inside the cave, clearing debris. Zachary didn’t see him come out, so he filled a bowl and brought it in.

There were broken stones all over the ground; and some edges were sharp. Zachary stepped carefully as he walked over. “Matthew, take a break.”

When Matthew heard him, he walked over quickly and took the bowl from his hands. “It’s messy insider

“Drink some. I made it with fruit and food from the stingtail beast.” Zachary smiled and pulled him to sit on a stone stool.

“Okay.”

Matthew had been sweating a lot. He lowered his head and drank in big gulps. Strands of hair fell over his forehead, partly covering his eyes.

. Without thinking, Zachary reached out and brushed the hair aside. Then he froze. Both of them paused.

A faint light flickered in Matthew’s eyes.

Zachary quickly looked away. “Um, your hair’s getting long. I’ll trim it for you later.”

“Okay.”

“You should eat something first.” Matthew knew Zachary had been eating an extra meal at noon lately. He had been busy all day and hadn’t eaten much.

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