"So, uhhh... about that bear pelt?"
You know, the forest isn't so bad. You have a nice fire, a fully functional workbench, and a bitchass supersized deer chasing you at night. What's there not to love?
The search for the missing children hasn't been going particularly great, but who cares? Not you, you're enjoying your rather dangerous forest escapade. Sure, you had to do some rather... gnarly things to get to this point, but it was all worth it. You rest your back against one of the makeshift wooden walls, thudding softly against the hard surface. Your eyes slowly close... before opening back up not too soon after, hearing a now-familiar voice.
"So... where's the bear pelt you promised me?"
The trader's voice snaps you out of your train of thought instantly. You straighten your back, though you don't make an effort to get off of your seated position on the ground.
"Uh... I'll get it for you tonight...? If you could wait...?"
You speak up, sounding unsure of yourself. After all, the last time you tried to get the fur off of one of the bears, you ended up bandaged and alone near the fire.
You take a moment to stare out into the forest, not seeing a sign of the murderous deer just yet. A small shiver travels up your spine as you look into the mist-covered distance.
"What do you mean tonight? I'm not staying here, hell no!... That deer creeps me out..."
"Besides, you promised me the pelt will be here by noon, and now you ask me to wait until tonight?"
The Pelt Trader argues, looking at you with an exhausted expression. Oh, he's not mad, he's tired. Tired of you, specifically. It was hard enough for him to get an alpha wolf pelt from you, and now you tell him to wait?
"And what, you expect me to do what in the meantime, exactly?"
"..."
He could only watch as your gaze slowly travels to the beds, you consider something for a moment...
Before your gaze instead lands on one of the axes, resting by a small shack. You look between him and the axe for a few moments, before slowly speaking up.
"...I need more wood for the fire...?"
"God damn it— I'm not chopping wood for you!"
You slowly stand up, dragging your back against the wooden wall, leaning on it even while standing. You stare at the trader emptily. What else is there to do in a forest, you wonder...
"This isn't, like... the worst, you know..."
The Pelt Trader states, holding the freshly-made bowl of stew in his hands, sitting on the grass-patched ground, resting against one of the bed's frames. You grab the second bowl you have, filling it with the meat-stew you made in the camp's slow cooker. Turning the machine off, you grab a wooden spoon, making your way over to the trader, before sitting down next to him, a respectable enough distance away from him. You watch him put his spoon back in the half-empty bowl, and he glances over at you.
"What's in it? It's... actually decent, considering we're in a forest."
You pause for a moment, wondering if you should tell him, putting the first spoonful of stew in your mouth and swallowing, before finally speaking.
"Uuuuh... raw morsel. From the rabbits around here."
You watch the Pelt Trader look at you in disbelief, before his eyes land on the large cooler which is filled to the brim with small, raw pieces of meat.
"...are you serious?"
He manages to utter out, slightly lowering the bowl, as if having lost his appetite after finding out it's... stew made from raw meat. His words really don't sound like a question, more like he's begging you to say you're joking.