As they stepped through the orphanage door, Werf and Jil barely had time to put their things away before a sudden knock echoed from the entrance.
Jil rushed to open it, and both children gasped at the sight before them. Hild stood tall in the doorway, a massive boar slung over her shoulders, its thick hide marred by several deep cuts. The beast's tusks gleamed in the fading light, its sheer size nearly dwarfing Hild's strong frame.
"You're back early!" Jil exclaimed, eyes wide with amazement.
Hild smirked, stepping inside and setting the boar down on the wooden table with a heavy thud. "Got lucky," she said, rolling her shoulders. "Found an Iron-Tusked Boar just wandering around the forest's perimeter. Big one, too. Figured I'd take it down and head back."
Werf stared at the beast in awe, running a hand over its coarse fur. "Iron-Tusked Boars are supposed to be tough," he murmured.
Hild chuckled. "They are. But this one wasn't expecting me."
Jil grinned. "So what now? Roasting it?"
Hild shook her head. "Not yet. We've got some time before dinner, so I figured I'd teach you two how to skin and prepare an animal properly."
The children's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Go grab three wooden buckets," Hild instructed as she unfastened a leather roll, revealing a set of sharp skinning knives. "One for the blood, one for the organs, and one for the bones."
Jil tilted her head. "Bones?"
Hild nodded. "Bones are useful. You'll see."
The children hurried off, scouring the orphanage's backroom for the buckets. By the time they returned, Hild had already laid out her tools—knives of varying sizes, a thick whetstone, and a small brush for cleaning the hide.
"Alright," Hild said, gripping the largest knife. "Watch closely."
She started by rolling the boar onto its back, positioning her blade just below its chest. "First, we bleed the carcass. If we don't, the meat will spoil faster." With a precise motion, she cut a deep line along the beast's throat, and dark crimson blood spilled into the first bucket. The thick liquid pooled heavily, releasing a warm, metallic scent into the air.
Werf and Jil wrinkled their noses at the strong, earthy smell but forced themselves to keep watching.
Once the blood had drained, Hild wiped her knife clean and continued. "Now for the hide. The trick is to cut just deep enough to separate skin from muscle." She demonstrated, slicing neatly along the boar's belly before carefully peeling the hide back. The flesh pulled away with a wet, sticky sound, exposing layers of lean red muscle and white connective tissue underneath.
Jil leaned in, fascinated. "It's like… unwrapping a present."
Hild smirked. "A very messy present."
She worked efficiently, pulling the thick hide away in sections, revealing the fibrous meat and thick layers of fat beneath. She handed Werf a smaller knife. "You try. Careful not to go too deep."
Werf swallowed hard but took the knife, mimicking her movements. His cuts were rough at first, but under Hild's guidance, he began to get the hang of it, the hide peeling back more cleanly with each stroke.
Jil nudged him. "Hey, not bad."
Hild gave an approving nod. "Now for the organs." She took the knife back and carefully sliced open the lower abdomen, exposing the glistening, coiled intestines and deep-colored organs of the boar.
Jil made a face. "Okay, that's gross."
Hild chuckled. "You'll get used to it." She reached in, carefully pulling out each organ and placing them into the second bucket. "Liver, heart, kidneys… All of these are useful, either for food or medicine."
Werf frowned. "For medicine?"
Hild nodded. "The heart, especially. It'll be used in your next medicinal bath. It's full of vitality, perfect for body cultivation."
Jil raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so we're gonna… soak in a boar's heart?"
Hild grinned. "More or less."
Jil groaned. "Great."
Finally, Hild moved to the bones. "Strong bones are valuable, not just for cooking but for reinforcing your own. Bone marrow is full of nutrients that help with cultivation, especially for strengthening the skeletal system." She picked up one of the thick leg bones, splitting it to expose the rich, jelly-like marrow inside. "We'll boil these down later."
With the butchering process complete, the kitchen smelled strongly of iron, fat, and fresh meat. The once-intact boar was now neatly separated into portions—meat for food, organs for medicine, bones for reinforcement.
Hild wiped her hands on a cloth and looked at the children. "Not bad for your first lesson."
Jil and Werf, though slightly pale from the experience, grinned. "That was… kinda cool," Jil admitted.
Hild ruffled her hair. "Good. Because next time, you're doing it without my help."
Werf and Jil groaned in unison, while Fenr, who had been eyeing the scraps the whole time, let out an eager bark.
Hild chuckled. "Alright, let's clean up. Dinner's not gonna cook itself."