View source for Anklegator Eggs and Ham (The Kid)

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2017/05/18
|Location=The Bastion
|Synopsis=The Bastion crew find their long-awaited dinner interrupted by the dinner.
|Cast of Characters=798
|Tinyplot=In Case of Trouble
}}
The time had finally come.


It took a combination effort on the behalf of Rucks and Zulf to figure out of Anklegator eggs were even edible. Drawing on the combined knowledge of Caelondian and Ura knowledge they had access too, they finally found anecdotal stories in which they were consumed. Zia did her best to come up with a recipe to match the flavor they were described as having (heavy and salty with a slight tang). And Kid went out to try and find whatever she needed for the meal.


The four gathered around the campfire on which a pot of water sat simmering. The girl held the large Anklegator egg found in the nest of Queen Anne, wrapped in a small net made to easily extract it once done. It was a heavy thing, to consume what could possibly be the last remnant of a species. 


"It'll be fine," Rucks says to break the silence. "It'll all be worth it, in the end. Go ahead Zia." Zulf exhales through his nose and says, "In this world, anything born from that would not survive. It may be kinder to not let it experience existence in the first place." Kid says nothing, but a low growl from his stomach speaks volumes. Finally, the Ura girl nods, and moves to submerge the egg.


Only for it to wiggle, fracture, and break open.


The Anklegator within was a small, sticky thing, but it already bore the vitality of life. It wriggles, slipping free of the net as Zia drops it in surprise, and immediately burrows into the soil that sits atop the Bastion. It's tiny, hard nose pokes out, sniffing the world around it as it circles the survivors.


The silence that pervades is an even longer one than before. But this time, Zia breaks it. "We're naming it Sapling," she says. The three men look at her in wonder, until Rucks says, "Zia, uh... that's a ferocious predator we got on our hands. Might be best if-"


"We're naming it Sapling," Zia says again, her tone laced with steel this time. The elderly gentleman raises his open palms, as if in surrender before walking away. Zulf's pallid demeanour cracks the first smile he's worn in a while. Kid just looks at the newborn as Zia feeds it a bit of cured ham. His expression is unreadable, but eventually he has no choice but to wander off in search of something else to silence his stomach.