Chapter 24: Fajitas
Now that all the ingredients were ready it was time for a beast world Tex-Mex feast!
Amber's mouth watered in anticipation of the fajitas that she had been craving! Nick tasted the food first to make sure it was good enough for his mate to eat.
His eyes widened at the new flavors and the combination of flavors was almost euphoric! He gave some food to Amber, and she eagerly ate the food.
She had been craving the food from home. It comforted her a little to taste the food she was used to. She motioned for the others to eat.
The beast guardians were a little hesitant at first because there was not that much food. They wanted to save it all for Amber. She was pregnant and needed to eat as much as possible before the cold season.
Amber saw the reluctance in their eyes and told them, "It's ok. I'm not going to eat all this food and it will go bad if we don't eat it soon."
She was thinking about a way to make a refrigerator or freezer. She thought about adding ice to a stone or wooden box during winter.
It would help to keep the meat from going bad during the cold season. For now, they did not have any ice. The best she could think of was to dehydrate the food or turn it into jerky.
The males all looked at each other and one by one they tasted the food. It was the most delicious meal any of them had ever tried!
They were instantly happy they chose to become a beast guardian of this beautiful and talented female. They were so happy that she was kind enough to them and let them try her new creations.
Oliver and Nick had already eaten. As her mates, they had a higher status than the beast guardians. Oliver was especially impressed with the guacamole that Amber had created.
He never knew that the black, ugly toad fruit could taste this delicious when mixed with garlic and sour fruits! After they finished eating, Amber was completely satisfied and started to feel sleepy.
Nick noticed his mate's eyelids getting heavy. He came up to her and hugged her as he laid her down on the fur rug.
At first, Amber was surprised, but Nick whispered in her ear, "Relax, take a nap. We will clean up." Amber smiled and nodded her head. She quickly fell asleep.
The pregnancy hormones were making her tired more easily. She had a big adventure earlier and after teaching them how to prepare the food she was tired.
The males all divided up the cleaning tasks while Nick watched over Amber. Nick was her first mate and the only 4-striped beast man in the family. He was the head of the family.
He supervised the others and after they finished cleaning, he told them his plans. He planned to return to the Cheetah village and get any males who wanted to come to the Beast City. He would use them to help build the castle. He was the Cheetah king after all!
In return for their help, he would take them with him to the sea and share the new salt-making techniques that Amber had shared with him. He could also teach them some of the cooking techniques she had shared with him.
The Cheetah tribe would soon become the richest and most powerful tribe in the Beast City. The rest of the beast males were excited to move to the new castle.
Ray wanted to share some of the new techniques with his father and the wolf tribe. This knowledge could help the beast men survive better during the cold season. It was always better to have more food options available during the cold season.
He asked Nick if he could share some of the new techniques. Nick thought about it for a second and responded, "You may share the wheat and rice harvesting techniques. You may also share the flour and the new recipes. For now, we will keep the salt-making techniques to ourselves."
The beast men all agreed. It was too precious to share every new technique Amber had taught them. Salt was one of the most precious commodities in the beast world. If the salt-making process worked, they would become the richest family in the world!
They would guard that knowledge and only share it with trusted beast men. They could use the salt to trade with other beast men. Nick discussed the salt trip arrangements with them.
He would lead the group to the sea. Oliver would stay with Amber since he was a doctor. He asked Ray and Tom to accompany him on the trip. Barry, Tyler, and Fred would stay with Amber. They all agreed with Nick's plan.
Amber would need many beast men to stay and take care of her. Oliver was a good choice since he could take care of her and if she needed any medical help, he was an excellent doctor.
Fred was secretly happy that he was able to stay with Amber while Nick and the other 2 were away. He hoped he could have more alone time with Amber. He had a sly grin thinking about ways to court Amber.
Tom asked, "When are we leaving for the Cheetah village?" Nick responded, "We will go today after Amber wakes up. I don't want to leave without telling her." They all nodded in agreement.
Soon Amber woke up from her nap and was greeted with a cup of water from Oliver. She smiled and thanked him. Nick informed Amber of the plans to go to the Cheetah Village and then to the sea for salt.
Amber was a little sad for Nick to leave, but she understood they needed more salt for the cold season. They only had a few months or less until it would be too cold for them to be outside for a long time. Amber reluctantly agreed.
Nick comforted her with a hug and reassured her that he would come back as soon as possible. Oliver also comforted her and told her, "Don't worry Amber I will stay and take good care of you."
She smiled at him and thanked him. The beast guardians who were also staying joined in and told her they would be happy to stay and help her.
Ray and Tom also wanted to stay with Amber, but as her beast guardians, they did not have the right to go against Nick's decision. They could only reluctantly agree and hope the trip would be over soon.
The sooner they left, the sooner they could return. They needed to make sure they returned before the cold season. It would take a week to get to the sea, and a few days to extract the salt. The entire trip would take about two and a half weeks if there were no complications.
There was always a possibility of being attacked by feral beast men or behemoths. They would need about 20 beast men to make sure they succeeded.
Nick hugged Amber and kissed her goodbye. With a sad face, he told her, "I will be back as soon as possible. It should take at most 3 weeks. We will try both techniques you told me about extracting salt from the sea. If they both succeed, we should have enough salt to get through the cold season. When I return, we will build the castle and move in before the cold season."
Amber nodded at his explanation. She understood that this world was different from her world, and they needed to focus on survival.
She hugged Nick tightly and told him, "I understand, I will be fine with Oliver and the others. Be safe on the trip and come back to me. Even if you can't get the salt. Make sure to come back to me."
Nick was touched by her words. He didn't know that Amber felt so strongly about him. She was always shy, but she was warming up to him. It made his heart beat faster and he was more determined to return quickly. With one last kiss, he parted with her and left the Lion King's castle.
Ray and Tom left after saying goodbye to Amber. She waved goodbye to them and told them to keep each other safe. She cared about all of them as family. She didn't want any of them to be hurt.
Amber felt sad to see them go. Oliver noticed her sad mood and distracted her with some tea he had prepared for her. Barry brought her some honey to add to the tea. Fred brought some nuts he had gathered for Amber. Tyler stayed back and watched shyly.
The distraction worked and soon Amber was focused on creating more food. She added some honey to the tea and drank it happily. It was rare to find sweet things in this beast world. She started to think about sugar or maple syrup.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone