Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Cooking Lesson

Sub–therians had gathered in small clusters around the fire, warming their hands and talking. A few therians were busy sparring with each other, testing their strength for fun, while others had already shifted into their beast forms and sprawled lazily across boulders or fallen logs.

The cubs darted around in packs, chasing one another in wild loops. Their laughter rang nonstop through the clearing.

Yael and Matthew walked side by side, heading toward the cave from the outer edge.

“It’s so lively tonight,” Zachary said.

Quincy, perched on his back, tilted his head slightly and smiled. “Everyone loves gathering here.”

Zachary watched the unfamiliar faces scattered around the firelight. A quiet wave of reflection suddenly washed over him.

I wonder what kind of civilization this world will grow into thousands of years from now.

“Quincy! Zachary!” A voice rang out from a group of sub–therians sitting nearby. Elias jumped to his feet and hurried over, grinning. “You guys went out?”

“Yeah. Matthew and Yael came along, so we went gathering,” Quincy replied.

Elias blinked eagerly. “So? Did you find much?”

“It’s not too bad.” Zachary gave the beast–hide bag a light pat and grinned. “Oh, right, Elias. Swing by my place when you have time. I’ll cook something good for you.““”

“Really? I’m in!”

Taylor licked his lips dramatically. “Zachary’s cooking is seriously good.”

“Seriously? Then, I definitely have to try it.”

Elias was just like Taylor.

The moment food was mentioned, his feet practically glued themselves to the ground,

The last time Zachary showed the tribe’s sub–therians how to make tools for picking fruit, it had earned him quite a bit of goodwill.

A few other sub–therians nearby waved and greeted them as they passed.

By the time they reached the cave, Zachary was starving.

He had barely eaten anything that morning, and at noon, he had only gnawed on a few pieces of fruit. At this point, his stomach was seriously protesting.

He rubbed his belly, then forced himself to deal with the supplies first.

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Moonstories

Chapter 30 Cooking Lesson

He pulled everything out of the beast–hide bag, especially the quail eggs and duck eggs, which needed to be set down carefully. The mushrooms could not stay packed together either, so he gently shook them loose and spread them on the ground. The wild berries and raisins were easy. He simply poured them out.

There was also a huge bundle of wild scallions. He wanted to dig a small hole and bury them to keep them fresh, but he could not find a proper tool anywhere.

His gaze swept around the cave once.

It finally landed on Jaden, who was crouched nearby, busy starting a fire.

He walked over with a grin. “Jaden, could you give me a hand?”

Jaden nodded and got to his feet.

“Can you shift into your beast form and dig a hole by the cave entrance? Use your claws,” Zachary explained, “We picked a lot of wild onions today. If we bury them in the soil, they’ll keep for a long time.”

As far as the things I actually know go, I can’t even be bothered to keep making up lies anymore. Honestly, any explanation I invent is full of holes anyway. Sooner or later, it would fall apart.

The more I talk, the easier it is to slip up.

No point lying to the clueless, and the sharp ones wouldn’t buy it either.

In the end, it’s simpler to blame everything on the accident when I fell into the water.

“How big?” Jaden asked.

Zachary picked up a stick and drew a circle on the ground.

Without another word, Jaden flexed his claws, and the hidden blades slid out. Then, he started digging, scraping through the soil in quick, sharp strokes.

Zachary felt ridiculously pleased watching him work. The little black panther’s round head bobbed up and down as he dug, putting his whole body into it like an eager helper.

“That’s good,” he said.

He ruffled Jaden’s head, then couldn’t resist giving his little face a quick rub before finally dropping the wild onions into the hole.

Jaden’s ears twitched.

He stayed beside him the entire time, watching without blinking, and even used his paws to help push the dirt back over the pit.

Matthew walked over, carrying the cleaned quacking beast.

“Could you mix some water with the mud for me?” Zachary asked as he took it.

Matthew had no idea why mud was involved in cooking, but he went to get it anyway.

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Chapter 30 Cooking Lesson

Zachary rubbed a layer of oil all over the quacking beast, then coated it evenly inside and out with salt/He stuffed the cavity with wild onions and ginger slices.

On the cutting board lay big leaves they’d just picked that morning, giving off a soft, fresh scent. Matthew and the others usually used them to serve food.

Zachary wrapped the prepared quacking beast in those leaves instead of lotus leaves. Then he took the mud that Matthew had already mixed and slathered it thickly over the outside of the leaf bundle before tossing it straight into the fire to roast.

However, one quacking beast wasn’t nearly enough. He headed to the storeroom, cut a big slab of venison, chopped it into chunks, quickly seasoned it, and skewered the pieces on peeled sticks.

He added a few skewers of mushrooms they had picked that day and put them all over the fire to roast.

Yael had been eyeing the wild

greens omelet.

He grabbed Quincy and hurried over just before Zachary’s mealtime to watch and learn. Along the way, they managed to snag some of the freshly roasted venison and mushrooms, too.

“Blanch the greens first and chop them up,” Zachary explained while demonstrating. “Beat the eggs, mix it all together, and add some salt. The wild onion omelet is just as good. Same method–just swap the greens for wild onions.”

He dipped a leaf in oil and brushed the bottom of the stone pot evenly. “Pour it in like this, spread it out, and once it sets, flip it over. That’s it.”

Quincy pointed at the bowl of oil. “Zachary, what’s that?”

“Oh, right, I forgot to show you guys how to render fat.” Zachary tapped his head, then cut some fatty pieces off the grunt–beast meat and rendered the oil right there.

Everyone else watched closely, completely focused, while he worked

“This is the cracklings,” he said, placing the fried bits onto a leaf. “Fresh out of the pan, they’re the best. Crunchy and flavorful.”

Yael munched happily, biting through them one by one, savoring each. He smacked his lips. “Zachary, how are you this good?”

Zachary smiled. “The ginger I dug up the other day, you guys can take some later. Slice it up and stew it with meat. Toss in a handful of wild onions at the end, and it’ll taste even better.”

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