Firestarting was half skill and half prayer, and this time, at least, Ash’s prayers were answered. Sparking her tinder, the hunter’s fire soon bloomed hot, the dry grass devoured by hungry flames. There wasn’t much that could be considered substantial fuel, only more grass ripped out by the roots though, and the hunter found herself constantly scrambling for more. Upon her machete blade, fats and oils sizzled, while the white-ish meat of the toad itself seared quickly. It definitely wasn’t looking like anything that was going to be appetizing, but for those who hadn’t been able to afford meat, for those who had practically subsisted off soup for the last week, anything of substance was going to stimulate their appetite.

Under the guise of checking for poison, Matteo went for the first bite as Ash continued to scramble about for more dry grass. The rashes on his hands made the experience of picking up hot, freshly ‘cooked’ food off a heated blade much more unpleasant than it already was, but after the thief popped the first cut of meat into his mouth, he simply couldn’t resist going for the next. It tasted like chicken. Bland, unappetizing, unseasoned chicken that wasn’t even cooked in a way that made it tender. It was chewy, tough, and smoky. If he had tasted literally anything else with texture in the last week, Matteo probably wouldn’t be so eager in eating more.

But it was meat. It was protein. And it was glorious.

...

Some water to wash down the dried meat would be great right now.