Meat Is Meat

Joshua was pissed.His stupid brother had stolen his chocolate… and they had almost been eaten because of it!

At least—luckily—the rat had been allergic.Maybe like dogs?He wasn't sure how long it took for a dog to die from chocolate,but this rat hadn't lasted long at all.

Staring at the corpse, Joshua began to think.Wasn't this free meat?

He kicked his brother, who was starting to get comfy on the ground.

"Get up. Time to work.We're eating the rat."

His brother gave him a "you can't be serious" face.

Meat was meat—whether from a frog or a rat.And this one? This rat was the size of their family's dining table.

If they dried it properly, they'd have enough supplies for a month.They couldn't afford to waste it.

Joshua had skinned animals before—but never a rat this big.And never with a rock.

This was going to be a challenge.

________________

***

Samuel collapsed onto the ground.He was wrecked.

He'd just run a full marathon with rats chasing him…and now his brother wanted him to work?

Hoisting that giant rat up a tree hadn't been easy.They had to braid ropes from vines, lift the monster's body,and he even got forced to climb so they could hang it upside down.

He was angry and exhausted.

Lying in the dirt, he rummaged through his stick-and-leaf backpack,pulled out a few roasted crickets, and started snacking,watching his brother work.

Joshua looked serious—circling the mega-rat,mumbling things and poking at it like some kind of expert.

Honestly? He looked awful.Unshaved, dirty clothes, messy hair…And that creepy grin on his face now that he'd figured out where to start cutting?He looked like a serial killer.Or some kind of wild forest creature.

Given his build and posture, Samuel couldn't help but think of Bigfoot…or maybe a mutant chimpanzee.

"Heh. Chimpanzee," he snorted to himself.

As he chewed on his crickets, something caught his attention.His brother didn't look as fat as before.

Curious, he looked down at himself.A lot of fat seemed to have vanished.

Should he patent the Cricket Diet?

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard... footsteps.