Chive
Legacy Name: Chive

It's no secret that Chai are among the greediest pets in all of Subeta. There seems to be no limit to the amount of food that these pets will eat. Chive is no exception to this, he lives for food, but he's also very particular about the food that he eats. You won't catch Chive eating raw meat, everything he eats must be carefully prepared and cooked, and presentation is everything.

Chive is part of a growing number of Chai who take food very seriously, and he partakes in weekly cook-offs in a special clearing in the forest. Chai from all over the forest gather at this clearing to cook and share dishes, and every week a panel of judges select the best meal, and once a year will award one Chai with the prestigious Chef of the Year award. Chive had dreamed of winning the award his whole life, but every year another Chai had just beaten him, but that was soon to change.

One day while out collecting herbs, Chive was minding his own business when suddenly an Illumis flew straight into his forehead. Seeing the Illumis lying on the ground, Chive reached out his paw to squash it, when suddenly he had a brilliant idea. In return for sparing its life, Chive asked for the Illumis to bring him honey every day. Chai adore Illumis honey, it's probably their favourite taste in all the world, but raiding Illumis hives is very dangerous, and so Chai are forced to use inferior Bumbus honey in their cooking. Now Chive would have access to an ingredient that nobody else would, and he couldn't wait to start cooking.

That evening one of the chef's came over to Chive's table to see what he was preparing,

"That looks rather bland, Chive", he said, "and don't get me started on that salmon steak, I've seen cubs prepare better".

He laughed as he walked back to his own table. Chive was used to such comments from the other chefs but he knew that next week would be different, because then he'd have that honey.

Morning was almost over and Chive had still seen no sign of the Illumis. Chive was starting to get angry when buzzing through the forest with hands full of honey came the little Illumis.

"Put the honey in here" Chive asked, holding out a jar.

The Illumis dropped the honey into the jar and made to fly away.

"Wait!" Chive called. "What is your name?"

"My name is Sting", said the Illumis.

"I'm Chive." Chive said. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

For the next cook-off Chive decided to make honey-glazed gammon, and was confident that this dish would be a big success thanks to his new ingredient, but to be sure nobody could copy his recipe he kept the honey a secret, only adding it when others were not looking. When judging time came the decision was unanimous, Chive's dish was the winner! As Chive had hoped, nobody could quite work out what made it taste so good, Illumis honey didn't even cross their minds because it was such a rare ingredient.

This continued for some time, with Chive's dishes winning almost every week. One day after collecting his honey and walking back to the clearing, Chive could hear a faint buzzing in the distance, he knew that Sting was following him, but decided to pretend he had not noticed. Chive knew his success was thanks to Sting, and decided that night to make something for her. He made a beautiful honey cake, and while the other Chai took their pieces, Chive made sure to save a small Illumis-sized amount for Sting. The next day when Sting came along, Chive thanked her for her help and handed her the honey cake. Sting look a bite out of the honey cake, and it was clear from her reaction that she enjoyed it very much.

Chive decided from that day that whatever he made at the cook-offs, he would bring Sting a sample. They soon became friends and when the annual Chef of the Year competition finally arrived, Sting was there cheering Chive on. When it was time for the judges to announce the winner, Sting was sitting on Chive's shoulder as excited as he was.

"The winner of this year's Chef of the Year is..." the judge paused for dramatic effect, "Chive!"

The crowd cheered, and Chive danced around with glee. He had finally done it! He had finally won Chef of the Year, all thanks to the smallest of pets.

Chive and Sting remain the best of friends, and Chive recently started to teach Sting how to cook, so she can make her own little Illumis meals whenever she pleases. She may even be a better cook than Chive, but thankfully for him, only Chai may compete in Chef of the Year.

Art, profile and story by me.

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