And that frustrated her more than she wanted to admit.
Right now, all she could do was buy time—time to figure them out, time to decide how to lead them, or if she even could.
She took a deep breath, trying to shake the weight off her chest.
What a mess, she muttered inwardly.
Night had fallen quietly, wrapping the forest in cool air and soft shadows. Kaya sat near the fire, sleeves pushed up, focused on the large clay pots in front of her. She'd asked Cutie not to help tonight—not because she didn't need it, but because she wanted to do this herself. He had enough on his plate, taking care of the injured. And well… she had a lot of new spices she was itching to try.
The meat she bought from Abaya wasn't going to last long, so she decided to cook it all—maybe five to seven kilos. She didn't have a way to measure, but she could guess. She cut it into small pieces, working quietly as the flames flickered beside her.
