Verdigris Ravine muscle

He thought he saw disapproval on Zoug’s face, though Talisman realized he wasn’t very adept at reading expressions. He licked his lips and took a step back when the elder did a demonstration on how to properly ingest the beans, which involved extracting them from the pod first. Why hadn’t he started with that? Talis wondered but didn’t ask.

While he was contemplating a second try, Zoug drew his attention to some sort of insect scuttling across the dry earth. The yearling sucked in a sharp breath, fighting the urge to bound away. It reminded him of a spider, though it was somehow scarier. It had claws, for gods’ sake! And was that a stinger on its back too?

He looked to Zoug in disbelief, asking incredulously, You want me to eat that? He didn’t want to disappoint him, though Talis’s insides twisted at the mere thought. Sorry, man, but there’s no way. What if it pinches me? Or stabs me? Or both?