Amber asked them if they had seen a tree that had sweet water in it when they cut it. Barry answered excitedly, "I accidentally cut down a tree like that once, the water from the tree made me sticky when it dried. I had to take a bath to get it off me."
Amber was excited! She asked him, "Are there any more trees like that around the castle?" Barry thought about it and nodded.
He responded, "I have seen a few trees like that. They have a lot of water inside them. Where will we keep all the water?"
Amber thought about it and remembered tree taps. She told them, "If we make a small hole into the tree, we should be able to get a little bit of water at a time. We would just need to put a stick or rock back in the hole to stop the water from all coming out. Then we can get more when we need it."
They all looked at her with astonishment. This female was too smart! How many ideas did she have in her pretty little head?
Barry nodded and looked at Tyler. He asked, "If I find the tree and bring back a leaf, can you fly around and find more?"
Tyler nodded and was excited to help. Amber looked happy at the thought of these trees and the sweet water. He was glad to help. Any chance to be noticed and get closer to Amber would be another step towards becoming her mate.
Barry left to go find the tree and test out the new tree tap idea. Fred took the chance to show Amber his collection of nuts and berries.
Amber noticed some of the nuts looked like peanuts. She thought about making peanut butter. She had seen them make it in the grocery store. They just blended the nuts until they were smooth. She could also try roasting them or adding some honey.
There were so many ways to use the nuts. She also notices some macadamia nuts. She knew they were good by themselves, and the nuts would last a long time.
Amber had so many ingredients now. If they found maple syrup she could make pancakes!
She could combine a banana and eggs to replace baking soda, then add flour and non-dairy milk.
Her sister had shown her how to make almond milk and third her about other kinds of nondairy milk. Since she hadn't seen any cows and didn't want to steal milk from a baby animal she would experiment with the nuts she had. It was mostly just soaking the nuts overnight in water and draining them.
She could still eat the nuts and drink the water so nothing would be wasted.
Amber decided to try the macadamia nuts first and try to make peanut butter. One of her favorite snacks after school was apple slices with peanut butter. She could use it on other fruits as well.
She decided to ask if they had seen any apples in the forest. She asked, "Have any of you seen a fruit that is round with red, pink, yellow, or green skin? It is juicy."
She saw them look a little confused. She knew there were a lot of different varieties of apples. She decided to draw a picture. She used a partially burned stick that had turned to charcoal. Amber drew a charcoal picture of an apple on the stone wall.
Oliver seemed to recognize the fruit. He told her, "I have seen these growing in the trees. I can pick some for you right away!" Amber's eyes glowed with anticipation and excitement! She nodded her head and was starting to salivate thinking about the apples and peanut butter.
She could also use apples to make apple desserts like apple pies or tarts. Apple juice was also one of her favorite drinks!
Oliver left to find the apple and asked the others to stay with Amber.
Amber asked Fred to bring her some of the nuts he had collected. She was going to try and make some Nut butter and nondairy milk. Fred brought Amber the nuts and Tyler was interested to see what she would create next.
Fred was happy that Amber showed an interest in the nuts he collected. Most females only wanted meat and fruits.
He brought her some nuts and Tyler brought her a bowl of clean water. Amber thanked them. Fred had already rinsed and dried the nuts when he collected them for her. Amber added some macadamia nuts to the water and set it aside.
Tyler was confused about why she was soaking the big nuts in the water. They were already soft. Amber noticed his quizzical expression.
She explained, "I can make milk with the nuts and water. I can use the milk to make other things." Tyler's eyes went wide with awe at this amazing female.
Fred was happy that she could use the nuts he collected in more than one way. He would collect more for her next time. He wanted to go now, but he would wait for Oliver. A try to come back first.
He didn't want to leave Amber alone with only one guardian. He wasn't too concerned about her safety while inside the Lion King's castle. He was more concerned with Tyler getting alone time with Amber.
He didn't want to create any opportunities for his love rival. He wanted to seduce Amber in his way. He hoped the more gifts he brought her the better his chances would be to become mates with her.
Fred brought her more nuts. Amber asked, "Can you help me grind these nuts into a paste?" Fred was excited to try this new technique. He had never tried the nuts differently. He always just ate them raw.
He quickly shelled the nuts and placed them in a clean stone bowl. He used a round rock to grind the nuts into a creamy paste. He tried it when Amber told him the consistency looked good.
His eyes opened in amazement at the new texture of the food. Amber asked, "How is it?" Fred replied, "It's good, I have never tried the nuts this way before. It still tastes like nuts, but it is creamier!"
He gave some to Amber to try. She nodded in appreciation. She told them, "Where I come from this is called peanut butter. We eat it with fruit or bread. There are a lot of different ways to use it."
Tyler looked curious to try the new recipe. Amber motioned for him to try it. He was shy at first but then used his finger to taste the new peanut butter.
His eyes widened with surprise when he tasted it. As a bird beast man, he usually ate other smaller birds and fruits that grew in the trees. He hadn't tried the nuts that grew on bushes. This was delicious!
It was nutty, smooth, and a little sweet. Amber told them, "Sometimes we add honey to the peanut butter. We can also roast the nuts first before grinding them. It adds a different flavor."
Fred was excited to try the different varieties of peanut butter. The more variety in their foods the better. He hoped this would help Amber eat more for the cold season. Even though she was pregnant, she had not gained a lot of weight yet.
Oliver and Barry came back shortly afterward. Oliver brought some different varieties of apples and other fruits he thought Amber might like. Barry brought a big stone bowl filled with sweet water he collected from the maple tree.
Amber asked Barry, "Did the tree tap work? Were you able to get the water to stop flowing?" Barry nodded and brought the sweet water to Amber.
He told her, "At first the water came out quickly, but after the bowl filled up I used a stick to stop the water in the tree." He brought a leaf and gave it to Tyler.
He told him, "This is the type of leaf from the sweet water tree. Can you find more the next time you fly?" Tyler nodded and accepted the leaf.
Amber looked excited and asked Tyler, "Can I go with you to look for more trees?" She remembered the last time she went flying and wanted to go flying again.
Tyler looked towards Oliver to ask permission as Amber's mate to take her flying. Oliver saw how excited Amber was and nodded his permission. He would do anything to make Amber happy as long as it didn't endanger her.
He knew Tyler would keep her safe. Tyler responded to Amber, "I can take you tomorrow. It is already almost dark outside and you won't be able to see at night."
Amber nodded and was excited to go flying tomorrow.
Oliver noticed the new bowls or nuts and asked Amber, "What are those?" Barry was also curious. Amber explained, "This is peanut butter. It is ground nuts. I can eat it with fruit and honey. The other is water and nuts soaking to make nut milk."
They were both surprised by Amber's inventions. Barry brought the sweet water and asked, "Would you like to try the sweet water? I already tried it and it is delicious."
Amber nodded and tasted the sweet water. It tasted like maple syrup, but not as thick. She was excited! She used a bamboo cup and scooped up some of the sweet water. She added some lime juice and made limeade.
She nodded in appreciation and asked if they wanted to try some. They all nodded. Amber made them each a cup of limeade.
They were hesitant at first because they remembered how sour the green fruit was when they tried it before. After they tried the limeade they were pleasantly surprised. It was sweet and sour, but not too sour.
Oliver especially enjoyed the limeade! He was happy his mate's inventions were so tasty. He brought the fruits he had collected and presented them to Amber.
Amber was excited when she saw the apples in different colors. She asked him to slice an apple for her. Tyler used a sharp talon and sliced an apple for Amber. He placed it on a clean banana leaf. Amber thanked them and dipped the apple slice in the peanut butter.
They all watched her eat with fascination. They had never tried to combine different foods the way she did.
Amber noticed their curious stares and offered them each a slice of apple with peanut butter. They accepted the snack and tried it. Each of them liked it!
They still preferred meat, but this was a good snack. They decided to let Amber eat her fill and they would eat what was left.