Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 432 - Load Bear-ing Details, pt3

A/N: Some explicit skinning/carcass processing and anatomical terminology.

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I reached into the ruin of the throat, past the windpipe I’d shredded, to find the floppy and flat tube of the gullet. Pulling it down a little bit, my fingers pinched around it and pushed up any fluids that may have started leaking from its stomach.

"Good. Use the zip tie on it and then-"

Listening to the advice Webber gave and gauging my next steps, I wandered into the storage area of the greenhouse to find a rather convenient six foot ladder. And item which is pretty much necessary, considering this beast stretches out like ten feet after it was hoisted.

> Even in hybrid form it would have been hard to reach everywhere I needed to. <

More circle cuts were made in the hide - around the wrists and underneath the rope held ankles. Careful not to slice into the ’Achilles’ tendon and lose the muscle tension there.

"Take your time. Its a lot of work but slicing too far in spots in this next area can ruin meat."

"I understand."

Inseam cuts were where I needed to pay closer attention to read the fur and find that natural line where the thinner hair of the inner thigh met the shaggier outer leg. Flipping the knife so the blade edge faced upward, away from the meat, I slid the tip under the skin - about at the hock - and pushed downward.

The hide began to separate with a sound like tearing wet cloth. Pearl-white tendons and dark red muscle give way to the white-yellow fat nearer the groin as the left leg’s slice went smoothly.

Doing the right was just a little awkward, flipping the knife to my other hand to get a more appropriate angle. Ever since I was asked about my handedness, I’ve been noticing more and more weakness to one side.

Still, by the time both cuts came down to the groin, I was forced to admit the next parts would be the most unpleasant. No matter how detached I tried to be. Considering I’ve literally met male bear shifters and made threats kind of like this...

"You’ll want to hone first, then split down the center of the scrotum. Not circle around like we’ll do on the anus. Careful not to puncture or the musk... it will taint everything it gets on."

Running the blade over the steel to straighten any edge curls, I traced the centerline of something I’d prefer not to touch with excessive caution and finesse... much more than I imagined ever using in the past.

> Lop. That’s the word. I always thought I would just grab and swipe hard with a knife, not perform surgery. <

The skin parted like a butterfly’s wings allowing me to pop the testes beneath free with minimal fuss.

Glistening, purple, about the size of a large egg each and as smooth and dense feeling. Both were connected by a tough white cord that, apparently, you are supposed to leave these on so that game wardens can see you did not shoot a sow.

...But I pulled them taut and sliced the connection so they wouldn’t just hang in the way.

I don’t think normally I would feel all that bad about this, especially because the creature is definitely dead. Yet, somehow knowing I have a son that has these parts I’m removing... is making me uncomfortable.

It’s not the same as eating a vole in one or two bites whole and it being part of what digests in my vulpine stomach. I’ve definitely knowingly eaten *these* when chomping through the soft bits of male rabbits or other game.

And Helene knew them as a prime target for maiming the speed of a buck...

> Nope. Can’t. <

Tossing them down into a small utility bucket I nabbed along with the ladder, I planned to see what to do about them later. Seems a shame to waste, even if I cannot bring *myself* to eat them currently.

Perhaps I can prepare them for Asha, or-

"It’s been a while since I’ve had some nice mountain oysters. They look a little small compared to a bull, but I can show you how to prep them. Waste not, want not."

"Oh, cooking... yes, I would appreciate that."

Martha must not have mentioned my failures on that front to this man, yet. It’s fine! I’ll just let him do the actual work and watch.

However, they might return to being more appetizing if I learn how a human can prepare and stomach them. There are probably thousands of pairs of these out there in our frozen forest larder!

"Speaking of things to trade or gift to others... there’s a bone inside the penis. The baculum. Martha would probably appreciate you setting that aside for crafting a totem." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"You have no sympathy for your gender. Noted."

The next part was also fairly unpleasant. Circling the knife a half inch around the center of the anus to separate that skin from the muscle beneath, then working to cleanly expose the white root of tail-bone where it met the body.

I’d been warned about this part. How the skin fuses tight to the vertebrae with almost no fat between. I clamped my fingers hard around the base and grabbed the fur of it with my other hand. Resistance met me, like the bear was stubbornly holding onto this piece of itself, until the vacuum broke with a wet sound.

What remained on the carcass was a naked, tapered thing that reminded me of a raw, washed chicken wing. What hung from the hide was just a hollow tube of fur I’d need to slit open later so it could dry flat.

"Now the bung tie, unless you want to do some more up and down on the ladder."

"Doesn’t really bother me. Though, I guess I could do without being right beside a penis more than necessary."

"Couldn’t we all. Honestly, you’ve surprised me. You get used to it if you work on a ranch, but you don’t seem to have any experience like that, even in your old world. Anyway, you remember how I described this next part?"

Switching my grip, I cut deeper through the muscle anchoring the rectum to the pelvic bone. The white tube came free with some coaxing and another zip-tie from the butchery supplies cinched it shut.

Gravity and a small shove sent it back into the pelvic cavity where it would stay contained until I pulled the guts. Then I continued the rest of the plan, running the center cut down the hide through the sheath for its male organ.

The resistance changed as I worked past where the skin connected at the tip. A small cut at the rim on each side, and the hide fell free from the organ entirely. Leaving a red... muscle tube.

"Highly unappetizing."

"Doesn’t get much more so after you boil it to get the bone out."

"I’m afraid I’ll simply have to present the entire thing to Martha and let her do that part, then."

"Sounds fine by me. I’m not sure I would trust you to boil water after the number of eggs you scorched in my kitchen."

Grimacing at her voice and statement, I look up to the drone hovering above the damaged greenhouse roof. It’s really disconcerting to not know everyone who may be watching me through it.

"Have you been listening this whole time?"

"No, I’m just cutting in and taking over now. Others needed his valuable advice more than you do. But he told me to send you to him when you have time."

"Ah. So he can eat the balls."

"...No, he actually wanted you to try and - how did you term it before? Annex him."