He didn’t have a thermoter, but he had a better tool—the ice and snow of the entire Labrador Peninsula.
He picked up the boiling iron pot and walked to the entrance of the shelter, where he stomped a flat snow pit into the ground. Then he steadily placed the bottom of the iron pot in the snow pit.
"Sizzle—"
With a soft hiss, the snow contacting the bottom of the pot instantly lted and evaporated, releasing a puff of white steam. The snow was efficiently absorbing the heat from the iron pot and the wolf oil.
He didn’t walk away but squatted nearby, using a clean small wooden stick to occasionally stir the oil, feeling the change in viscosity.
The boiling oil was very thin, and as the temperature dropped, it gradually beca viscous.
About half a minute later, he lifted the stick, noticing that the dripping speed of the oil on it had significantly slowed down; the temperature had dropped to a suitable level.
"Now is the crucial mont for mixing."
First, using a birch bark bowl, he scooped out about two parts of warm wolf oil from the pot, then he tipped the small mound of heart mince and liver paste into the bowl.
Using a smoothly carved clean small wooden stick, he started to stir continuously in one direction at a constant speed.
"Fat is the core, simulating the high calorie of mother’s milk. Protein and vitamins act as supplents, water is used to adjust the concentration and provide hydration to prevent dehydration."
As he stirred, a wondrous transformation occurred; the originally distinct oil and at mince began to slowly rge.
While stirring, he added water extrely slowly, and the addition of water acted for emulsification.
The once clear grease began to turn cloudy and thick; its color gradually changed from pure gold to a slightly pinkish, opaque milky white.
He stirred very carefully, his arm steady, not too fast or too slow. He ensured all the mince and liver paste in the bowl were fully dispersed without any tiny lumps.
Soon, a bowl of slightly pink, uniform in texture, aromatic with rich grease and aty scents liquid food was completed.
It looked like a thick broth, with a delicate golden sheen on its surface, having both the scorched aroma of fat and the raw at sll.
He gently placed this life-saving replacent milk, using the shallow birch bark bowl, in front of the cub.
The cub’s nose started twitching violently again, as if it had been awakened from sleep by this newer, more direct food scent.
It instinctively knew this was the food it truly needed, containing the energy it deeply craved within its bloodline.
Struggling to lift its head, groggy eyes looked at the bowl in front of it, snuggled over, sticking out a small pink tongue to cautiously lick the edge of the mixture.
At that mont, it seed to freeze, and in those obsidian eyes, an incredible light burst forth instantly.
Then, an intense craving for high-fat food, rooted deep within its bloodline, was completely ignited.
The next second, it buried its entire little face into the bowl without hesitation, making eager and satisfying "gulp gulp" sucking sounds.
The sound was loud, urgent, and because it ate too fast, it even choked a bit, letting out two pitiful coughs, with a bit of milky white liquid spraying from its nostrils.
But it rely shook its head vigorously and imdiately buried its face back, growling protectively as if afraid the life-saving food would suddenly disappear.
Lin Yu’an squatted nearby, a relieved smile finally appeared on his face.
Gently stroking the little one’s fluffy back, feeling the weak but determined life pulsing under his palm.
He could feel that as the food was swallowed, the little one’s tremors had completely stopped, and it seed a small furnace was rekindling inside that once cold body.
A faint but real warmth was slowly transmitting along its spine to his palm.
He knew he had made a decision that might bring great trouble in the future, but watching this little one swiftly gulping down hopes of life, he felt it was all worth it.
Outside the cold wilderness law, there are always things worth protecting.
The cub soon finished all the "replacent milk" in the bowl, even painstakingly using its small pink tongue to lick the bottom and walls of the birch bark bowl over and over.
Making crisp "slap slap" sounds, unwilling to waste even a drop of precious fat.
After the last hint of flavor was licked clean, it let out a satisfying little burp, sounding so endearing that it brought a chuckle.
Its belly, visibly to the naked eye, swelled up, from its previous hunger-induced concavity to a round, taut little ball of hope.
The white fur around its mouth, stained with oil, turned a translucent pale yellow, making it look like a child who sneaked cream without wiping, comical and cute.
After eating and drinking to its fill, a strong, irresistible drowsiness, mixed with warmth and a sense of security, washed over it like a tide.
Its eyelids began to fight, its little head nodding like trying to resist sleep, but eventually, it completely surrendered.
Letting out a big, almost jaw-unhinging adorable yawn, it unguardedly revealed its pink gums and not fully grown baby teeth.
Then, its head tilted, not having ti to adjust its posture, it fell into a deep sleep on Lin Yu’an’s soft sleeping bag, with a belly full of warmth and satisfaction.
This ti, its breathing beca long and steady, no longer hurried or weak as before.
Its small chest rose and fell evenly with its breaths, even letting out slight contented "snore" sounds.
In its sleep, one small paw unconsciously twitched, as if chasing after so beautiful dream.
Lin Yu’an quietly watched it sleeping soundly, watching this little life pulled back from the brink of death, a heartfelt, relieved smile on his face.
He softly spoke towards the still blinking GoPro on his chest, "Many people misunderstand the word ’hunter’ deeply. Hearing hunter, they might first think of slaughter."
"They think hunters are nature’s destroyers, a synonym for bloodiness."
His gaze passed through the observation port, looking out at the moonlit, desolate snow plain, his eyes turned deep.
"But a true hunter is not a butcher. Butchers only care about at and skins."
"Hunters revere life, revere the earth beneath their feet. He understands he’s part of this giant ecological chain, not its overlord."
He turned his head, softly looking at the peacefully sleeping little life curled up in the sleeping bag, his voice softened.
"Today, I chose to save this cub. This seems contradictory to my action of hunting that wolf yesterday, but actually, they follow the sa core principle—balance."
"A qualified hunter plays a role more like a gardener, pruning dead branches threatening the forest’s health while removing invasive species disrupting the ecology."
"But he will also right the blown down saplings with the hope of survival. Because he knows, only when the whole forest is healthy can he survive here long term."
"So, to , being a hunter has never just ant slaughter and acquisition."
"It also ans guardianship and inheritance, safeguarding the land’s balance, protecting lives that shouldn’t wither prematurely. Like this little one, it deserves a chance to live."
Lin Yu’an didn’t say another word, just quietly walked back to the fireplace, adding a few new logs to the fire pile.
The flas crackled, dancing, spreading warmth evenly throughout the shelter.
Also allowing this unexpected little intruder into his life to sleep more peacefully.
Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside this small shelter, it was filled with silent warmth.
————
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