Giovanni Couteaux felt hungry.

It was unusual, since he tended to eat all day. Small portions, of course, as he cooked. He had to taste the food before serving it, after all.

He owned a small restaurant in Ventimiglia, an Italian resort town near the French border. Or had owned one. The restaurant, Giardino di Ulivi, served both Italian and French cuisine and had done well in the two years since opening. He’d had gained weight as well, but that was to be expected, his cooking was delicious.

All had been well until a delivery truck had crashed through the storefront, obliterating the dining area. It was unfortunate that he had been up front talking to some customers at the time.

Now he was sitting in the open, surrounded by grasslands. A stream gurgled nearby and a copse of trees covered a distant hill.

“You have been reborn.” A voice whispered to him. “The food lacks flavor and the people need your expertise. Teach them.”

He looked around, but didn’t see anyone. As he struggled to get up, he noticed his feet were hooves.

He checked himself over. He was naked, with bristled hair covering most of his body. He had pointed ears that were curled over and a wide snout. A pig? Che Cazzo? What the fuck?

A noise caught his attention and he looked up to see the golden eyes of a wolf watching at him through the grass. He turned, looking around to see several others. He was surrounded. This wasn't something he was prepared to deal with.

If only he had something to defend himself with. As he thought it, an image of his cooking utensils came to mind. His large chef’s knife would be very helpful right now. He could almost feel the handle in his hand. When he looked down, he realized he really was holding it.

A few minutes later, Giovanni was sitting again, this time butchering the remains of the wolves. During the struggle, they had torn up quite a bit of the grasses. The smell of earth, lemons, and onions permeated the air. He could use those.

Some experiments revealed that he didn’t just have a knife, he could summon any of his cookware, including a lighter. When filling a pan with water from the creek, he found mint as well.

If his nose was sensitive enough, maybe he could even find truffles under the trees.

The wolf stew was both delicious and filling.

Giovanni Couteaux felt hungry.