GRUMBLE...
Inside a relatively intact house, Gu Ning and Barto gathered with the others to cook a meal.
Gu Ning sat by the large pot, warming herself by the fire. She and Cook stared at the food, their mouths watering.
They had arrived at their resting spot too late today. She’d slept in the car without eating anything, and now her stomach was growling insistently.
Barto gave the pot a few stirs with a ladle. Hearing Gu Ning’s stomach rumbling, he ladled half a bowl of broth for her first.
"Careful, it’s hot."
Gu Ning cupped the bowl, blowing on the broth as she drank.
Cook pressed up against her, staring at her bowl and drooling.
Seeing Cook’s ravenous expression, Gu Ning knew he hadn’t eaten in the car either.
The little pup gets carsick, so Barto wouldn’t have let him eat.
"Here you go, Cook." Gu Ning blew on the broth to cool it down before offering it to him.
Cook took a couple of sips while she held the bowl, then pushed it back to her.
Leo, who was warming some wine nearby, stared at their seemingly intimate interaction. ’This little snake is so crafty,’ he griped internally. ’Useless in a fight, but she’s certainly got a knack for sweet-talking dogs.’
’Sigh, it’s a good thing Mixed Breeds are a little dumb,’ he thought. ’He doesn’t even realize he’s being raised as an emergency food supply.’
"It’s ready." Barto tasted the stew, decided it was done, and served a bowl to Gu Ning and Cook first.
It was a simple beef and potato stew, but the two of them ate with gusto.
"Here, eat up." Leo sidled over and started piling meat into Gu Ning’s bowl, acting as if he wanted to dump the entire pot in there for her.
’Even though most of the Snake Clan don’t really hibernate these days, it’s still winter,’ he thought. ’Her appetite is bound to be huge.’
Gu Ning stared at the mountain of food in her bowl. "..."
Barto shot the dog a suspicious glance, figuring he was just trying to curry favor. He pushed Leo’s hand away. "Just worry about yourself."
"Don’t tell me what to do." Leo went right back to scooping meat for Gu Ning. "Why’d you cook so little? Is this even enough for her? Fox, go get more ingredients."
Barto snatched the ladle out of his hand. "If you want more, go cook it yourself!"
’And now he’s ordering me around.’
Gu Ning watched in amusement as Leo stood up, grumbling, and went outside. A moment later, he returned with several large bags of ingredients.
Before he could even open them, Vine, who had followed him inside, snatched the bags from his hands. "These aren’t for you. If you’re still hungry, get food from one of the other vehicles."
The meat was rationed. If they took too much, it would spoil before they could use it. They had designated contacts in cities along their route to replenish their supplies.
Leo shot back, "Who said I was going to eat it? You all had better keep her well-fed, or I’m the one who’s going to be in danger."
’If she really decides she wants to eat a dog, I’ll probably be the first one she goes for. I can’t just beat her up when that happens, can I?’
COUGH! COUGH! Gu Ning choked on her broth when she heard his words.
’This guy really thinks I’d eat a dog? Isn’t that... a little too naive?’
"She can’t eat this much," Vine said, taking the ingredients away.
Leo tried to grab them back. "We’ll be in Zone 15 tomorrow to resupply. It won’t hurt anything to let her eat a bit more."
Vine pushed him away and chided, "You’re supposed to be an experienced team leader. Don’t you understand the importance of keeping a surplus for unexpected situations?"
Leo retorted, "We have so much food prepared. Are you really telling me her extra portion is going to cut into our surplus?"
Afraid they were about to start a real fight, Gu Ning said to Leo, "I’ve had enough to eat."
Leo turned to her. "Really?"
Gu Ning nodded. "Really. Human form, small appetite."
Hearing her say that, Leo stopped arguing with Vine and returned to his little pot of wine.
After a moment, he brought the warmed wine over to Gu Ning. "Here, have a drink. I’ve been saving this for a long time; I couldn’t bring myself to drink it until now."
Gu Ning took a sniff. It was quite fragrant, with a scent of peaches.
"Go on, drink up." Leo glanced at the doorway. ’Once that rule-obsessed wolf gets back, we probably won’t be able to drink this,’ he thought.
"And you call *this* a treasure?" Barto sniffed the wine’s aroma and scoffed.
’This dog really has no taste.’
"No thanks, you guys can have it." Gu Ning didn’t care for alcohol. ’A cup of hot chocolate right now would be heavenly,’ she thought.
"Just try it. It’s not strong. Aren’t you sensitive to the cold? A drink will help you sleep soundly." Leo found a bowl and poured a little for Gu Ning.
Seeing that he meant well and was being so insistent, Gu Ning found it hard to refuse. She accepted the bowl and took a sip.
It tasted sweet and sour with a mellow body, but she had a feeling the alcohol content was actually quite high.
"Woof?" Cook leaned in and took a taste from the bowl. He smacked his lips, then turned his head away, uninterested. He wasn’t a fan of sweet things; meat tasted much better.
"Here, here, there’s enough for everyone." Leo poured some for Barto and Seth.
Seth waved his hand, declining. "Thanks, but I’m not drinking."
’The boss told me to stay vigilant on the road. Drinking could cause problems.’
Barto took Gu Ning’s bowl and had a sip. The taste was actually decent... He took a few more gulps.
Seeing that only Barto was interested in his wine, Leo sat down beside him and filled his bowl. "So, what do you think? I secretly swiped this from the old lion. I’ve been saving it this whole time. Lucky you."
Gu Ning asked curiously, "The Admiral drinks?"
She remembered that every time she’d seen Andrew, he was drinking tea.
Leo said, "You have no idea. He has a ton of good wine stashed away. That old lion forbids us from drinking, but he sneaks drinks himself."
Gu Ning raised an eyebrow slightly. She would never have pegged Andrew as someone who enjoyed drinking.
"It’s nothing special," Barto said. He wanted to drink more, but after a glance at Gu Ning, he poured the rest back into Leo’s pot. "You drink it yourself."
"Hey, you damn fox." Leo’s hands itched to hit him, but he managed to restrain the urge. He gave Barto an insulting gesture, then took his wine pot and sulked in a corner to drink by himself.
By the time Vine returned, Leo had already drunk more than half the pot.
Vine didn’t say anything, merely frowning and shaking his head.
’The guy’s already drunk; scolding him now would be pointless,’ he thought. ’With Leo’s stubborn temper, only the Admiral can keep him in line.’
’It’s one thing if he drinks by himself, but he’d better not get the rest of the team drunk.’
Vine’s gaze swept over Gu Ning’s group. He saw that Gu Ning’s face was flushed and he could smell alcohol on the other two. "Have you been drinking?" he asked.
His tone and expression were always so serious that none of them wanted a lecture. "No," they said in unison.
Seth nervously raised his hand to add, "I really didn’t drink."
Vine had only asked casually, with no intention of scolding them. He sat down and said, "A sip or two is fine to warm up, just don’t drink too much."
Gu Ning glanced at Leo. The guy was holding the wine pot, GLUG, GLUG, GLUGGING it down.
Vine snatched the pot away from him. "Drink less! Can’t you at least try to set a good example?"
Leo wiped his mouth. "Do you want some or not? If not, shut up. It’s my wine."
’It’s not often I get away from Andrew’s lectures,’ he thought. ’I have to take this chance to drink as much as I can.’
Vine just shook his head, not bothering with him anymore.
It was a little after one in the morning when Gu Ning and the others finished their dinner. They then went their separate ways—some to rest, others to take up patrol duty.
Just like the previous night, Gu Ning slept in the vehicle.
In the middle of the night, while she was deep asleep, a sudden movement woke her. Something heavy pressed down on her blanket, then came to rest on her chest like a pillow.
Gu Ning was too sleepy to open her eyes. She raised a hand to feel around and touched something furry.
Hm?
’Cook?’
She felt it again and recognized the familiar texture of beast ears. ’But... why does Cook’s mouth feel longer? No, wait... this snout... is that Barto?’
’But why is its head so big?’
The head—she couldn’t tell if it was Cook’s or Barto’s—nuzzled against her neck and began licking her face nonstop.
"Stop fooling around... let’s sleep..." Gu Ning tugged at her blanket but couldn’t pull it free. She decided to burrow deeper underneath it, but the head just followed her, nosing its way under the covers as well.
Gu Ning smelled a whiff of alcohol and felt the vehicle start to shake.
She was suddenly wide awake. Tapping open her terminal, she used its light to look up and out of the vehicle.