Chapter 4: Triggered Senses

[Ocean]

Four weeks had passed, and I had learned a lot from them. Seraphina had shown me around the Pack house and my own room. The house can accommodate five families, but because Quillan is quite grumpy, the Beta and the First Warrior decide to live separately.

These people sure do have weird titles.

Seraphina choses a room for me in the opposite wing of the house so that I wouldn’t run into Quillan.

Something odd, however, is that I frequently hear animals howling at night, but I haven’t seen any in the village. Not even the four-legged furry creature they called a dog I saw once in the picture.

“Ocean, after that, could you kindly help me in the kitchen?” Samantha pulled me out of my trance. She was carrying a fabric-covered box.

“Sure, Sam. I’ll finish this up right away.” I stood up, wringing the dirtied water from the rag into the bucket.

I was wiping the floor when Samantha called. She is Aria’s mother and Quillan’s sister. She’s nice to me, but unlike her cheerful daughter, she’s a little distant. Though she occasionally helps me with chores and teaches me things I didn’t know, I can tell she’s wary of being in my presence. She’s stunning though, and her eyes are the same bright green as her mother’s. Looks like it runs in the blood.

I went outside and emptied the dirtied water into the gutter, then washed the rag and hung it on the drying line.

I noticed the pale-faced man pushing a cart full of fire logs. He greeted me with a wave.

“Good morning, Ocean.”

“Good day to you as well, Khail.” I returned the wave and smiled.

I wiped my hands on my apron and returned to the kitchen, where Samantha was cutting vegetables.

I proceeded to the sink to wash my hands before turning to face her.

My nose scrunches as a delightful aroma wafts through the air. I sniff again, looking for the source, but there’s nothing.

“How can I help you, Sam?” I inquired, looking for something to do and trying to get the aroma out of my senses.

“Do you know how to clean a fish?”

Fish? The mere mention of the word causes my stomach to grumble and my mouth to water.

Is it necessary to clean the fish? I thought it was ready to eat.

“No, but you can show me.”

She nodded and set the knife down before going to a white cloth-covered box she was carrying earlier and lifting the lid open. She drew four fresh-caught salmon.

I’m not sure how I recognize it, but it makes my mouth drop open. My saliva dribbled down the side of my mouth, and something that looked like sharp canines caught my tongue.

I quickly close my mouth before Samantha notices and wipes the excess drool from my chin.

The fresh fish meat is extremely delectable. My stomach clenched, and I desperately wanted to push Samantha aside, so I could devour the entire fish.

“You must be starving. Your stomach is rumbling wildly.” She laughed as she took the knife and lowered the fish into the sink.

“Do we still have to cook it? Can’t we just eat it that way?” I was clutching my stomach. I followed her and observed her as she began the cleaning process.

“No, silly. Anyway, this is the proper way to clean it.” She placed the fish in a large basin filled with water.

“The first step is to remove the salmon’s anal fins. This makes it much easier to move forward with the cleaning process. If the anal fins are not removed, they will get in your way while scaling the fish, making it much more difficult to work with.”

Her fingers expertly cut the fins, which are found in pairs near the bottom of the fish’s body. She makes a small cut right behind the fins, then runs the knife forward to remove the fins and toss them in the disposal bucket.

As I watch her clean the fish, the aroma lingers strongly in the air. She put aside the newly cleaned fish on a plate and washed the blood off her hands.

“It’s your turn.” She motioned for me to join her at the sink.

My hand is trembling as I take the knife and hold the salmon up to my face to inspect it.

“Place your knife at the tail end of the fish and run it down against the skin as if brushing it towards the head.” She showed me how to scale it, which I did while struggling to shake my sudden carnivorous instincts towards the fish.

“Remove the visceral insides of the fish before slicing it into pieces. Turn the fish on its back and insert the knife into the hole you made while removing the anal fin. Run the knife all the way up to the fish’s mouth, which will allow you to pull the guts right out.” She directed me through the process.

She guided me as I cut the rest of the fins and the head off the fish after it had been gutted. Begin by removing the tail, then align the knife with the head from the gills to remove them.

I skinned the salmon before removing the remaining pin bones with tweezers one by one.

The strong scent pervaded the kitchen, making me lightheaded.

After tossing the unwanted parts into the bucket. My hands were stained with fish blood.

“Wow, that’s impressive for a first timer.” Samantha complimented my work when I finished cleaning one.

“Thank you. I believe I will be able to manage.” I croaked without looking at her.

“All right, if you need anything, just give me a call.”

I nodded, and she returned to the counter, where she had left the vegetables she had been cutting earlier, and took out another knife.

I concentrated harder on my work, inhaling deeply the sweet, juicy scent of salmon. As I finished the last fish, I heard someone enter the kitchen.

“You look good with that, Ocean.” It was Seraphina who beamed at my side. Complementing my simple tasks. I washed my hands but did not use soap to remove the blood. I still want to smell the fish’s scent on my skin.

“Thank you, Seraphina. Sam taught me well.” I gave the elderly woman a friendly smile.

When my gaze was drawn to the discarded intestines, the stench became too strong for my nose to bear. My stomach clenched and gnawed within me. A sharp jagged row of canines, elongated and piercing the tip of my tongue.

“She’s a natural mom,” Samantha interjected.

I need to get out of here as soon as possible. The scent is driving me insane. My head begins to pound and my vision doubles.

“Ocean, you look pale. Are you alright?” Seraphina’s worried voice rang through me, but it faded. I nodded subtly, I tried to compose myself, so they wouldn’t notice that something wrong was going on with me.

“She must be starving. I can hear her stomach grumbling as she cleans the fish.”

“I’m fine, I just need some fresh air.” I mumbled as I dashed outside.

I couldn’t see much of where I was going because of my muddled vision. I let my feet carry me outside. I ran into someone. I couldn’t tell who it was, and a familiar spark ignited, but I was too consumed by this strange feeling towards a blasted fish to even think about the person I bumped into.

I dash out the door and sprinted to a nearby tree. I take a deep breath and exhale loudly.

The scent faded, and the crisp air took its place. My stomach rumbles gradually stalled, and I’m feeling much better.

What was that feeling?

My hand went straight to my mouth to see if the sharp teeth I had felt earlier were still there, but they had been replaced by blunt and dull rows of normal teeth.

I got a whiff of fish scent on my hand, but it wasn’t too strong since I had already washed it off. I sniff the delectable aroma, tempted to lick it.

Looking from side to side, to make sure that nobody’s around except me. I gently rubbed the tip of my tongue against my palm.

It tasted sweet and nostalgic, as if I’d had it before, and it made me crave it. If Samantha hadn’t been there, I would have devoured the entire salmon.

“Ocean? Why are you licking your palm?”

My soul nearly jumped outside my body when someone spoke from behind me. I turned around and quickly wiped my hands on my apron.

“A... Arzhel, what are you doing here? You spooked me.”

He simply shrugged and leaned against the tree bark.

“I saw you running, and I thought something had happened. Are you okay?”

I nodded, turning my gaze up to the sky. Why did a fish’s smell trigger something like that?

I jumped a little when I felt Arzhel take my hand and take it up to his nose. My heart quickened at his touch.

“Fish? Your hand smells like fish.” I yanked it from his grasp and hid it behind my back as my face turned crimson. Why does he have to smell it?

“I... I was helping Samantha with the fish earlier.”

“Why are you licking it?” My brows arc upwards to his question. I averted my gaze as I thought of an alibi. It is kind of embarrassing that I nearly went frenzy over a fish.

“Nothing. I’m just curious what it tastes like.” His brows shot up from what I said.

“You didn’t know what fish tastes like?” He laughed but I pouted.

Was it that bad?

He flashes me a beautiful smile and my heart swells at the sight. He appeared to believe it. He pinched my face before patting my hair while shaking his head. I’m just hoping he doesn’t hear how loud my heart is ramming inside my chest.

Actually, little things amused me and piqued my curiosity. Like I have seen all of it for the first time.

Except for the fish’s scent.

I wish I had my memories right now.