Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter Ep

Intermezzo: The Youngest Son of the Ruu and his Family

“Oh yeah, I went to see Darmu a little while ago,” Ludo Ruu casually threw out there in the middle of dinner, causing quite a stir.

Most of the shock was coming from his sisters. He had already reported the matter to his father and older brother, while his mom and grandmothers weren’t the sort to be easily flustered.

“But why? Isn’t the northern settlement where Darmu’s staying really far away?”

“Yeah! Besides, it’s no fair that only you get to go!”

His little sisters Rimee and Lala Ruu were being especially noisy. Though his older sisters Vina and Reina Ruu had their eyes open wide in surprise, they both patiently waited for Ludo Ruu to continue talking.

“It’s not unfair. Our old man just asked me to go deliver a message there. Anyway, Darmu was the same as always.”

“That’s not enough info! Is he doing alright?”

“People from town sneaked into the northern settlement, right? Darmu wasn’t in danger, was he?”

“Geez, you two are noisy. Do you seriously think anyone from town could actually do anything to him?” Ludo Ruu replied while tossing a chunk of giba sparerib meat coated in red tarapa sauce into his mouth. “Besides, Darmu was inside the house watching the criminals, so he didn’t even see anyone. Though apparently someone definitely did approach nearby.”

“It’s no trivial matter, having townsfolk sneak into the forest’s edge. Honestly, it’s quite unsettling,” Mia Lea Ruu calmly chimed in, as if rebuking her noisy daughters. Meanwhile, the older Tito Min and Jiba Ruu just quietly watched over the exchange.

It was then that Jiza Ruu’s wife Sati Lea Ruu returned and asked with a smile, “Oh, my. Is something the matter?”

Her baby Kota Ruu had been crying for milk, and so she had moved to another room. But now, the child was once more sleeping in a woven basket, even letting out a content burble.

“Ludo said he went to see Darmu. It’s no fair that he’s the only one!” Lala Ruu protested.

“My,” Sati Lea Ruu said with another smile. “Totos certainly are convenient at times like this. So, how was Darmu?”

“He pretty much just had the same sour look on his face as always. Ah, but there was one thing that seemed a bit different...”

“What the heck?! You just said he was the same as always!”

“What was different about Darmu?”

His little sisters instantly pressured him, but Ludo Ruu was left at a bit of a loss. After all, it wasn’t exactly an easy change to explain.

His older brother Darmu Ruu had seemed like he was seriously brooding about something. However, it didn’t seem like a bad change, but more that he was desperately searching for some sort of answer.

Darmu’s had a lot happen with him lately, after all, Ludo Ruu thought to himself. But he felt like it’d be a pain to explain that to his sisters, so he looked towards Sati Lea Ruu instead.

“At any rate, Darmu seemed to be doing well. But he did complain that the food was gross, though.”

“Oh, Darmu said something like that?” Tito Min Ruu interjected.

“Yeah,” Ludo Ruu answered with a nod. “That’s because they don’t bloodlet their giba meat in the north, so of course it’s bad. And they don’t have any skilled chefs like Reina around, either.”

“I don’t think any chef could make bloody meat like that taste good, no matter how skilled. You can tell at least that much, can’t you, Ludo?” Reina Ruu replied with a smile seemingly meant to hide her embarrassment. Well, even if that was the reason for her grin, she really did look happy too. For a while now, she seemed to be unusually fired up about manning the stove.

Darmu’s not the only one who’s changed, Ludo thought, and then he turned to face his other brother, who had remained silent this whole time.

“Hey Jiza, do you still think of Asuta as nothing but a nuisance?”

As he sipped the soup broth, the eldest Ruu son stared back at his little brother.

He kept his eyes narrowed, such that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Ludo Ruu feared that he may have upset his brother, and so he added, “It was a long while back, but you once said Asuta should live in town, didn’t you? Do you still feel the same way?”

“Huh? Jiza said something like that?” Lala Ruu questioned, turning towards Jiza Ruu in shock. Rimee Ruu’s eyes had also gone wide with surprise.

However, Jiza Ruu just kept on silently eating.

“I think it was on the morning of Gazraan Rutim’s wedding. A whole lot has happened since then, so do you still think that, Jiza?”

Still no response.

“Back then Asuta was just darting about the settlement, but now he does business in the post town and even helped crush the Suun back at the clan head meeting. He’s really been working hard, right? And it seems like over half the other clans approve of the Fa’s actions by this point, but what do you think?”

“The ones who approve of the Fa’s actions are all heads of small clans... The Zaza continue to stand in opposition, while the Sauti remain neutral,” Jiza finally stated.

However, those words weren’t enough to satisfy Ludo Ruu.

“I don’t really care what other houses think. How do you personally feel, Jiza? Do you still not care for Asuta and Ai Fa?”

Again, nothing.

“Besides, as of right now the Ruu acknowledge the Fa clan’s actions. We’re helping out with their business in the post town, and even put Asuta in charge of cooking for the festival of the hunt.”

With that, Donda Ruu, who had been chugging down fruit wine, let out an annoyed, “That’s enough, Ludo.”

“Hey, this is an important thing to discuss, isn’t it? You’re one of the leading clan heads now, and Jiza’s your heir. If someone in your position and your successor feel and think differently, it could cause trouble down the line, yeah?”

“But Jiza needs time to think, too,” Mia Lea Ruu now chimed in. “Can’t you just leave the troubling stuff to him and our clan head, and focus on carrying out your own work?”

“This is an issue for the whole Ruu clan, though, isn’t it? Asuta and Ai Fa are important to me too, so that’s even more reason I can’t just leave things be.”

At this point, the elder Jiba Ruu finally joined the discussion.

“I’m certainly glad to hear you say so, Ludo... But since we’re talking about such important people and matters, doesn’t that make Mia Lea’s comment about needing to take the proper amount of time even more true...?”

“Maybe. But you care a lot about them too, don’t you, Granny Jiba?”

“Of course I do... Ai Fa has been my friend for quite some time, and I owe Asuta greatly for once again reminding me of the joys of being alive... But Donda and Jiza need to consider the future of the whole of the forest’s edge... Asuta and Ai Fa are struggling hard to carry out a great task, but it will take quite some time to say for certain whether or not the path they’ve chosen is the right one...”

Ludo Ruu just didn’t get it.

But still, Jiba Ruu cared about Asuta and Ai Fa just as much as he did, if not more. So with her rebuking him, he figured he really might have been acting rashly.

Tch. No matter how I look at it they’re working hard for the sake of our people, so why not just say they’re doing the right thing already?

Ludo Ruu went ahead and gulped down those frustrated words along with his soup that had been flavored with tau oil.

After that, the family finished their dinner without mentioning the Fa clan’s actions again.

◇

A while after that, Rimee and Lala Ruu visited Ludo Ruu as he was lying alone in his room.

“What is it? Is something the matter?”

“No, we just wanted to hear more about Darmu,” Lala Ruu answered with an angry look, while Rimee Ruu’s eyes were sparkling with expectation.

Darmu Ruu had been staying at the Suun settlement since the clan head meeting, and then he finally returned for the festival of the hunt, only to turn around and end up heading even further north to help keep watch. He had only been home for a few of the past 20 days, which had left his sisters seriously missing him.

Hunters of the forest’s edge spent most of their day out in the forest to begin with. And so being in a period of rest meant a happy chance to spend time with your family... and yet Darmu Ruu was away from home even so. Perhaps it was no surprise that his youngest sisters would end up feeling lonely as a result.

“This room sure does feel big when Darmu’s not around, huh?” Rimee Ruu said as she plopped down next to her brother and looked around. Ever since getting married, Jiza Ruu had moved out of this room, leaving Ludo Ruu as the only one using it at the moment.

“So, what’s up with Darmu? Did something happen at the northern settlement?”

“I don’t know. But it didn’t seem like it had anything to do with those folks from the north. He was just thinking about something.”

“But the Zaza and Dom and Jeen all used to serve under the Suun clan, didn’t they? And I heard Dad got along with them real poorly even before he became the clan head.”

Apparently that was what had his younger sisters most concerned.

Plus, the Zaza clan head Gulaf Zaza had visited the Ruu house quite a bit lately. Thanks to that, the girls had seen firsthand that man with beastly, blazing eyes who wore a giba pelt with the head still attached. And the ferocious intensity he gave off would come across to anyone, not just hunters.

“Darmu headed north because the Zaza came and asked for help, right? So why would they go picking a fight with him?”

“Yeah, but...”

“Besides, we were only enemies with the northern clans when they did anything and everything the Suun told them. But now that they’ve realized the Suun clan had been deceiving them all that time, there shouldn’t be any reason for us to quarrel. Otherwise, our old man never would have included them among the leading clan heads,” Ludo Ruu answered while stifling a yawn. “So whatever Darmu’s worrying about is something different. But with all the stuff that’s happened with the Fa clan, worrying a bit makes sense, right?”

“Ah, yeah... And Darmu really doesn’t seem to get along well with the Fa clan...” Lala Ruu listlessly replied while cradling her knees.

Donda Ruu had once asked to have Ai Fa marry Darmu Ruu. However, Ai Fa turned down that offer and chose to live as a hunter. And then after that she brought Asuta to the Ruu clan and all sorts of stuff happened, until finally Darmu Ruu lost to her at the festival of the hunt in a contest of strength.

In such contests, while winning brought pride, there was supposed to be no shame in losing... but he certainly may have found it humiliating to lose to someone he once tried to take as a bride. Plus Darmu Ruu had insisted a woman couldn’t be a hunter up till that point, so he certainly had to feel some shame from that loss.

“Darmu seemed like he was acting a bit strange both at the festival of the hunt and when he was heading out for the northern settlement. Does he, you know... still want to take Ai Fa as his bride...?” Lala Ruu questioned.

“I don’t know,” Ludo Ruu replied. “Well, if he does, then I’d imagine he’s feeling even less pleased with the way things are at the Fa clan. I mean, I can’t imagine Ai Fa ever marrying anyone but Asuta.”

“Yeah, me neither... But still, Ai Fa’s so pretty, and I really love her too. I think a wife who would quietly cuddle up with him would be better for Darmu, though!”

“I told you, I don’t know anything about all that. And it’s down to the clan head and the person himself when it comes to choosing a partner.”

“That’s true, but still... Tch, it’d be better if he’d look somewhere closer instead...” Lala Ruu grumbled.

Ludo Ruu got what his sister was saying, but he just didn’t feel it was his place to meddle.

“Darmu’s not a kid anymore, and he’ll find the path forward that’s best for him without needing us to worry about it. Anyway, I wanna get to sleep already...”

“Yeah, I’m sorta sleepy too,” Rimee Ruu said with a cute little yawn, clinging to Ludo Ruu’s chest. “Hey Ludo! Can I sleep with you? We haven’t for a while.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I mean, Darmu’s not around, so I’m lonely...”

“What, so I’m his replacement?” Ludo Ruu retorted, sticking out his tongue and turning away.

“Come on, why not?!” Rimee Ruu shot back, swaying back and forth. “I’m still just eight, so why can’t I sleep together with men from my family? And in two more years, we won’t be able to anymore.”

“Two years is a good while off, still... But well, I guess I don’t really care where you sleep.”

Rimee Ruu gave an excited, “Hooray!” upon hearing that, while Lala Ruu gave an annoyed, “Hey! If you do that, then I’m going to be left all alone! And I’m 13, so I can’t exactly go sleeping with my brother, right?”

“Then why not sleep with Vina and Reina? The three of you could sleep together.”

With that, Lala Ruu exited the room with an angry “Geez!”

“Hehehe,” Rimee Ruu giggled, then laid down next to Ludo Ruu. “Hey Ludo, you sleep without anything on top of you?”

“Yeah. I’m not especially cold or anything, after all.”

“Oh yeah? But if we snuggle together it’ll be all warm!” Rimee Ruu cheerfully exclaimed, pressing her head up against her brother’s chest. As she did so, her fluffy reddish brown hair tickled Ludo Ruu’s nose, so he gave it a light tussle with one hand.

“Hey, is Darmu really alright...?”

“Yeah. Just trust in him, okay?”

“Yup! If you say so, then I will!” Rimee Ruu replied, burying her face in Ludo Ruu’s chest and snoring peacefully away before long.

As Ludo Ruu cradled that small head and enjoyed the soft sensation of her hair, he also went ahead and closed his eyes.

◇

When Ludo Ruu awoke the following morning, Rimee Ruu was nowhere to be seen. The women had work that needed to be taken care of early, so she must have left at the break of dawn. And after giving a big stretch, Ludo Ruu also headed out for a stroll.

When he exited the house, though, he found the sun was higher in the sky than he had expected, and so he gave up on the outing and moved towards the kitchen instead. After all, there was already a nice enough smell coming from there to make his stomach grumble.

The totos Ruuruu was tied up behind the house, and as always he wore a goofy look on his face as he innocently pecked the leaves off of nearby branches. After greeting the large bird with a pat on the rear, Ludo Ruu peered into the kitchen.

Sure enough, there were women working away inside: his four sisters and Sheera Ruu from the branch houses. Recently Asuta had tasked them with doing prep work for the meals they sold in the post town.

“Ah, good morning, Ludo! You’re up late today, huh?” Rimee Ruu called out with a smile as she cooked up one small poitan after another. Meanwhile, Lala Ruu looked a bit angry again as she stood there next to her little sister.

“I see you’re burning up plenty of firewood first thing in the morning, as always. Still, didn’t Asuta only ask for three of you to take care of that...?”

“I’m done with my other work, so I’m helping out. It helps me train at manning the stove!” Rimee Ruu energetically replied, puffing up her cheeks. “Besides, I’m the only one who’s not allowed to help out in the post town! I want to get to work with everyone already, too!”

“You’ve just gotta be patient until this feud with the nobles is settled. Then I’m certain you’ll get your chance to work with us,” Reina Ruu said with a smile, trying to soothe her younger sister. She really had been looking fulfilled since it was decided she would work in the post town every other day, after Vina Ruu got injured.

On the other hand, Vina Ruu had been looking a bit depressed. In her case though, rather than having anything to do with business in the post town, it was probably her thoughts racing about that easterner who had departed from Genos. He had suddenly asked to marry her and then gave her half a year to think about it, and she was stuck ruminating on it until then.

Well, she’s been the one leading men about up till now, so maybe it’s a good thing for her to worry about that, Ludo Ruu thought, and then he gave another look around the kitchen.

It was busy enough that it was almost as if they were preparing for a banquet or something. Reina and Sheera Ruu were grilling up the meat for one giba burger after another, then tossing them into a pot. That pot had boiling tarapa sauce in it, and it was Vina Ruu’s task to keep on stirring it while occasionally sighing.

Meanwhile, the baked poitan were already piling up next to Rimee and Lala Ruu. Asuta sold 150 meals each day, so even taking on half of the work involved in preparing that much food resulted in this much commotion.

“Hey, the smell of meat grilling is making me seriously hungry. Will I get chewed out if I take one?”

“Of course you will! In fact, I’ll get mad with you myself if you try it!”

It seemed that jokes didn’t really work on Reina Ruu when it came to cooking and business. And so, Ludo Ruu slumped his shoulders and retreated.

By the time he made it back to Ruuruu, a familiar youth came into view: Sheera Ruu’s younger brother, the head of his house.

“Hey there. You’re pretty early, Shin Ruu.”

“Hey, Ludo Ruu. I thought I should clean myself while I had the chance.”

The washing place for the Ruu settlement sat behind the main house. And sure enough, Shin Ruu was holding a cloth to wipe himself down with and a change of clothes.

“In that case, I’ll join you. I’ll go get some clothes to change into, so could you wait a bit?”

“Right, got it.”

With that, Ludo Ruu passed by Shin Ruu as he headed back to the house. But as he was doing so, he suddenly stopped and stared at the boy’s face.

“The bruise on your face is showing a lot less. Does it still hurt or anything?”

“It was never an especially painful wound.”

Shin Ruu had not only been sent flying by that Jeeda boy, but he had also been kicked in the face. And the traces of that abuse still faintly remained on his slender visage.

“You’re a fine hunter who brings no shame to the Ruu name, Shin Ruu. Your opponent was just that skilled, but it’s nothing to feel ashamed over.”

The youth offered no response.

“So, you were training with Rau Lea yesterday? I know you looked seriously exhausted on the way back, but I didn’t really hear the details...”

“That training will definitely be a help. I’m truly grateful to Rau Lea, and to Ai Fa for bringing it about.”

“I see. Well, there are definitely folks who are good for you to train with and others who aren’t. So I’m glad to hear that you and Rau Lea are working out well,” Ludo Ruu said with a grin.

Shin Ruu just nodded back and said, “Yeah.”

He had always been quiet to start with, but he really seemed to be fretting over having let Jeeda slip away.

Well, with something like this he’s just gotta get stronger till he feels satisfied.

Shin Ruu was already one of the strongest hunters among the branch houses. And considering he was just 16, that was certainly something.

However, he couldn’t measure up to any of the hunters of the main house. Even though Ludo Ruu was a year younger than him, Shin Ruu had never beaten him in a contest of strength.

That’s because I’m aiming for my old man and my big brothers.

Ludo Ruu was confident that he was at least as strong as Darmu Ruu by this point. And on a good day, he might even be able to knock Jiza Ruu down into the dirt. However, he knew he couldn’t put up a proper fight against Donda Ruu or Dan Rutim at all, and he had lost to Mida at the last festival of the hunt, too. Neither Ludo Ruu nor his brothers were satisfied with the present state of things, and so they were all chasing after their father’s back.

Shin Ruu should make at least a bit of a fuss at how frustrated he’s feeling about his lack of strength. If he did, it’d probably help make him feel better.

Still, stuff like that varied from person to person. And since it wasn’t exactly easy for someone to go and change their whole personality, all Ludo Ruu could do was shoot his childhood friend a smile.

“Anyway, just wait here. I’ll go get a change of clothes, so—”

“Ludo Ruu,” a voice called out from behind.

Turning around, he found Sheera Ruu standing there even though she was supposed to still be in the kitchen. She jogged on over, a calm look in her eyes that resembled that of her younger brother.

“Oh, I see Shin’s with you too. Um, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you, Ludo Ruu...”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“You went to the northern settlement yesterday, didn’t you...? Lala Ruu told me so.”

With that, Ludo Ruu got what was going on and answered, “Yeah,” with a nod. “If you’re asking about Darmu, he seemed to be doing fine. He was brooding about something, but he wasn’t any more listless than usual or anything.”

“Ah, I see...” Sheera Ruu murmured with a sigh of relief.

It seemed she had been worrying about Darmu Ruu in her own way, different from that of his immediate family. When he considered the relationship between Lala and Shin Ruu, Ludo Ruu couldn’t help but find that quite interesting.

Honestly, Ai Fa and Darmu seem like they’d be fighting each and every day. But someone as gentle as Sheera Ruu might suit him well.

And Sheera Ruu had sort of a different feel about her lately, too.

She used to seem all timid and lacking in self confidence. That appeared to be because she was a bit lacking in strength, and had trouble with stuff like carrying water jugs. And Ludo Ruu didn’t remember this, since he was younger, but apparently her weak body led to her being prone to illness when she was little.

The people of the forest’s edge tended to value being able-bodied above all else. That of course went for the men who acted as hunters, but the women also needed to work hard all day, and eventually be able to carry out the important task of birthing children, so that was only natural. In fact, the reason Ai Fa had proven so attractive to the men wasn’t just her appearance, but also because she was so robust and full of life.

“Still, Sheera Ruu’s looks aren’t half bad, either...”

“Huh? Wh-What is it?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s just that you’re every bit as skilled at manning the stove as Reina, so I don’t think any man would be troubled in the least by a marriage proposal from you.”

Instantly, Sheera Ruu’s face went bright red.

“W-Why are you saying something like that all of a sudden, Ludo Ruu? Did... did Asuta say something to you?”

“Hmm? What are you bringing Asuta up for?”

“Ah, no, if that wasn’t the case, then never mind.”

Ludo Ruu didn’t fully get it, but since Asuta was always working so hard in the kitchen, maybe he was good at picking up on women’s concerns and discussing stuff like that with them.

Plus, Asuta was frail and gentle like a woman, too. And yet the really strange thing about him was that he could also occasionally show a hunter’s look in his eyes and get every bit as intense as Ludo Ruu, his brothers, and even his dad.

“At any rate, Darmu was doing well. He may not exactly be able to come back home till everything’s settled with the nobles, but there’s nothing to worry about. And also... they don’t bloodlet their meat at the northern settlement, so I’m sure he’s really itching to eat your cooking.”

“B-But making food for him is a task for the main house, isn’t it?”

“You’re just as skilled as Reina, though, so I’m sure he’d enjoy something you made.”

As her face went ever redder, Sheera Ruu mumbled, “I-I’ve still got work to take care of...” and took off running.

“Hehe,” Ludo Ruu chuckled, while Shin Ruu looked more than a little dumbfounded.

“What had Sheera so flustered? And what did she even want in the first place?”

“Hmm? You don’t get it, Shin Ruu?”

“No, I haven’t a clue.”

Ludo Ruu laughed even harder and put an arm around Shin Ruu’s neck.

“You really are an interesting guy. It sure is fun having you two as relatives.”

“I suppose I’m glad to hear it, but I really don’t get what you mean.”

“Never mind that. You just stay the way you are, Shin Ruu.”

Somehow, Ludo Ruu just couldn’t help but feel like grinning.

Though everyone was being pulled this way and that by Ai Fa and Asuta, they were still finding their own ways forward. It was still vague, but that was the sense he got.

Sheera Ruu had changed thanks to receiving cooking lessons from Asuta. And Shin Ruu getting turned down when he asked Ai Fa to teach him sacrificial hunting techniques seemed like it had some sort of impact on the boy, too. Ai Fa was only 17, and a woman on top of that, but it was hard to imagine anyone criticizing the job she was doing as clan head or as a hunter. There was no way that Shin Ruu didn’t sense anything from her, either.

And Ludo Ruu’s family in the main house had formed even deeper bonds with the Fa. From what he heard, the Fa were also in the process of forming new connections with their neighboring clans. Since they had struggled against the Suun and come out on top, Ai Fa and Asuta were now finding a new place for themselves here at the forest’s edge.

I’m sure Jiza and Darmu and even those guys from the Zaza clan will have to acknowledge Asuta and Ai Fa eventually. I mean, they’re just so intriguing that how could you not?

Ludo Ruu took a shine to them the very first night that he ate Asuta’s cooking. That was what led to him handing over a tusk as a blessing and recommending that Asuta marry one of his older sisters. And so, he certainly felt glad to see the two of them getting more and more accepted by everyone at the forest’s edge.

“We’ve got to do a good job protecting them again today! No matter who’s planning what, we’ll keep any danger away from Asuta and Ai Fa, right?”

“Of course. I’ll never let myself suffer such shame again,” Shin Ruu earnestly replied, Ludo Ruu’s arm still around his neck. “By the way, I’d like to get to bathing soon...”

“Ah, right! Hold on just a bit!”

After giving Shin Ruu a little poke in the head, Ludo Ruu took off running towards the house.

And in his heart, he felt joy at being born to the Ruu clan, and at being able to call Asuta and Ai Fa friends... As well as a great pride at being a hunter of the forest’s edge.