Crown Camp.
Feng Shan sat expressionlessly under a wooden shelter, with Nash standing behind him.
Before long, a small troop of animals shuffled dejectedly through the antler fence.
Leading the way were Coca-Cola, Prince, and the Little Wolf Cub, followed by eight white-furred Alaskan Taiga Wolves.
The fur of several of the unfamiliar white wolves was spattered with mud. They looked as if they had just taken a beating, sullenly trailing behind the three of them and having lost all the aggressive arrogance they’d had at the bear den.
The animals ca to stand before Feng Shan.
Coca-Cola padded forward with light steps, tail held high, letting out a series of sweet "OWS."
It walked up to Feng Shan’s feet and repeatedly rubbed its head against his pant leg, its big, watery eyes gazing up at him, full of innocence and a desire to please.
Prince was even more direct.
He flopped onto the ground for a belly rub, tongue lolling out and body wiggling, putting on the ultimate display of dopey cuteness.
Not to be outdone, the Little Wolf Cub lay at his feet, whimpering coquettishly, its main strategy being sheer cuteness.
Seeing his three little masters put on such a show, Feng Shan shook his head with a wry smile. He hadn’t been truly angry in the first place.
He was mainly worried about Coca-Cola’s and Prince’s safety. The Wilderness Tundra was full of predators—bears, bobcats, wolverines, and wolves—all of which could easily make a al of them. Even herbivores like reindeer, moose, or muskox could take the lives of his two little masters if they went into a frenzy.
He let out a long sigh.
Feng Shan picked up Coca-Cola and cradled the cat in his arms, then looked at Prince and the Little Wolf Cub. "Alright, that’s enough. If you do this again, I’ll give you a real beating."
Seeing that their master wasn’t angry, Prince scrambled to his feet, tail shooting up again. He let out a series of barks at the White Wolf Pack as if introducing his status in the camp, and the wolves listened with lowered heads and submissive eyes.
Prince was the very picture of a dog borrowing its master’s might.
"You guys..." Feng Shan said, looking at the ek-looking pack of white wolves before him.
Don’t be fooled by their beautiful appearance; in reality, every one of them was a ruthless killer. When they hunted, their sharp teeth and claws could easily tear their prey to shreds.
Last night, when Tom was around, Feng Shan had made a point of asking him about them.
Among the twelve largest subspecies of gray wolf, the Alaskan Taiga Wolf ranked tenth. They could grow to a maximum weight of 80 kilograms and a length of 1.6 ters. Their fur was mostly pure white, and their long manes were key to their survival on the Tundra.
They could travel for dozens of kiloters at 10 kiloters per hour. When chasing prey, their speed could increase to nearly 65 kiloters per hour, and each stride during a sprint could cover up to 5 ters.
Although slightly less powerful than the North Arican Gray Wolf, they were absolute brutes on the Far North Tundra.
Reindeer, moose, muskox, and even black bears were all on the Taiga Wolf’s nu.
Pit bulls, Tibetan Mastiffs, Caucasian Shepherds—they could kill any of them with ease.
When Tom saw that Feng Shan was skeptical, he used that bunch of old-tirs from the Far North as an example, recounting how so-and-so’s sled dogs had been dragged off and eaten by Taiga Wolves.
Feng Shan stared at the Taiga Wolf pack with a mischievous glint in his eye as an idea began to form.
’If I can get this pack of Taiga Wolves to guard Crown Camp, who would dare to poach here in the future? It would be far more effective than patrolling on my own.’
anwhile, the white wolves squatting nearby shivered for no apparent reason, as if sensing that sothing bad was about to happen.
Feng Shan’s expression changed in an instant. He turned to Nash with a cheerful grin.
"Xiaona, we have guests. Why aren’t you showing them so hospitality? Go get the stew and rice from the kitchen."
Nash froze for a second. ’If I’m not mistaken,’ he thought, ’he must an when he says Xiaona.’
Still puzzled, he went to the kitchen and brought back the leftover venison stew, half a pot of rice, and so stead buns.
Feng Shan found a large basin, dumped the leftovers into it, and beckoned to the white wolves.
"Co and eat! I made this especially for you."
As it turned out, neither dogs nor wolves could resist salty food.
The White Wolf Pack devoured the huge basin of rice mixed with venison gravy, licking the bottom so clean it sparkled.
"Are you full now?" Feng Shan said with a grin, walking into the open space and waving the white wolves over. "Since you’ve eaten my food, it’s ti to be obedient. Co here, all of you."
The white wolves understood his gesture and walked over to him.
Feng Shan seized the opportunity, raising his right hand and silently chanting the incantation for the Beast Taming Witchcraft. The Witchcraft Bone Ring emitted several rays of red light.
The red light, like nimble threads, instantly entered the bodies of the white wolves. The wolves were startled at first, their bodies trembling instinctively as they tried to struggle and escape.
Then, their eyes gradually glazed over. Their initial resistance faded, and under the influence of the red light, their bodies involuntarily grew still.
By the ti the red light had completely rged into their bodies, they had beco totally calm. They lay docilely at Feng Shan’s feet, the wildness and wariness in their eyes replaced by submission and dependence.
Nash, who was standing to the side, was already used to seeing this.
’Khilla is omnipotent!’
Coca-Cola, Prince, and the Little Wolf Cub had long since undergone the Beast Taming Technique. Seeing the White Wolf Pack submit to the spell, they happily ran forward to welco their new companions.
Feng Shan, however, was looking at his now-dull Witchcraft Bone Ring, thankful that he had held back ten percent of his Soul Power.
After casting the Beast Taming Technique this ti, his Soul Power was once again depleted.
’But it’s not a big deal,’ he thought. ’Worst case, I’ll just go hunt a few reindeer on the Tundra.’
The top priority now was to train the White Wolf Pack.
"Everyone, over here!" Feng Shan clapped his hands to get the White Wolf Pack’s attention. He then picked up a piece of firewood from beside the stove, threw it into the distance, and randomly singled out one of the white wolves.
"Go, fetch!"
The chosen white wolf obediently left the pack, ran to the piece of wood, picked it up in its mouth, returned to Feng Shan’s side, and gently set it down.
’Not bad!’ he thought. ’They’re quite obedient.’
Feng Shan nodded, deciding to increase the difficulty.
His gaze fell upon the sled stored under the wooden shelter. It was a gift from Old Swan, who had said it was over a hundred years old, from Kivalina, and made from Yellow Pine Wood and Walrus Ivory. If he hadn’t sold all his sled dogs due to a food shortage, he would never have parted with it for anything.
Dogsledding is the most traditional form of transportation in Alaska and is even considered one of the state’s cultural symbols. It’s the very reason for the existence of the world-famous Alaskan Malamute breed.
"Xiaona, do you know how to dogsled?"
Nash nodded with a helpless expression. "Khilla, one *drives* a dogsled. I don’t pull it myself."
With that, he turned, walked to the wooden shelter, and moved the sled out into the open.
Old Swan really went all out with his gift. Not only did he give the sled, but all the accessories too. It looked like he was truly done with dogsledding for good.
Nash began explaining the function of each piece of sled equipnt.
"The harness. These are the straps that go around the dog’s body and back."
"The gangline. This is the main line the dogs are attached to to pull the sled."
"The lightweight wooden sled..."
Feng Shan stood by, nodding along. "Keep it simple. Just tell how to drive it."
If Khilla weren’t a Tribal Elf, Nash would have just thrown up his hands and quit right then and there.
’Who asks how to drive a dogsled before the explanation is even finished?’
’Besides, the only sled dog in the camp is the not-so-bright Prince. The rest are Alaskan Taiga Wolves.’
’It looks like Khilla wants to use the Taiga Wolves to make a wolf-sled team.’
A wolf-sled team.
A long ti ago, only the Eskimos used dosticated "Tad Wolves" to pull sleds instead of hounds.
Although wolves have better endurance and cold resistance than sled dogs, and are stronger and faster, a wolf is still a wolf. Their wild nature is hard to ta, their obedience is poor, and incidents of them harming people were common. Eventually, wolf-sledding slowly disappeared.
"Khilla, wolves aren’t suited for pulling sleds."
"Who says?" Feng Shan picked up a harness and began to fit it onto one of the white wolves.
...
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