Night had fallen completely.
Only the last trace of purplish-red light remained on the distant mountaintops.
That was autumn and winter in Alaska: daylight always passed strangely fast.
Before you noticed, the light was gone.
To survive here, you had to pay even closer attention to temperature and light.
Su Wei lowered himself and began forcing the ends of the tent poles into the clips at the four corners of the tent.
Chapter 16: Hunting Preview!
With a click, the end of the pole locked firmly into the clip at the corner of the tent.
Without stopping, Su Wei secured the other three poles the same way.
Once the last pole was in place, the orange tent fabric sprang open, swelling into shape amid the snow-covered woods as the sky darkened. A shelter against wind and snow was ready.
He knelt in the snow and patted the taut outer wall of the tent. Only after making sure nothing was wrong did he move on to something else.
Cotton Candy circled the orange thing that had suddenly appeared twice, then stretched out his nose to sniff it. He even reached out a curious paw to bat at it.
"Hey, don't touch that."
Su Wei's voice wasn't loud, but it was stern.
Cotton Candy's paw stopped in midair. He looked at Su Wei with his blue eyes and tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.
He could sense that Su Wei's tone seemed a little different from usual.
Su Wei paid the little fellow no further attention. He had more important things to do.
He stood up and carried the bundle of devil's claw to a sheltered spot behind the tent, right up against the large rock.
Only after that did Su Wei turn to look at the little fox, who was still staring at the tent.
"Come here."
He patted the snow in front of him.
Cotton Candy hesitated, then came running over in little steps and sat in front of him, sweeping his tail behind him.
Su Wei crouched down to meet his eyes.
"Why didn't you listen this afternoon? Why did you chase the rabbit?" he asked calmly.
Cotton Candy couldn't understand Su Wei's words, but he could sense that Su Wei had changed, that he had grown somewhat stern. Instinctively, it made him want to hide.
He reflexively drew his neck in and let out a whimper.
"I know that's your instinct."
Su Wei reached out, but instead of stroking his head, he took hold of his furry scruff.
He didn't grip hard, but the little fox's body immediately stiffened.
Being held by the scruff was what his mother had done when she disciplined him.
"But out here, not listening can get you killed. And it's not just you who could die. I could die because of you too."
Su Wei could feel the little fellow's body trembling.
As he spoke, he imagined the worst.
Cotton Candy could rush off after a rabbit and run into a brown bear that had just woken up, its belly empty.
Or he could miss his footing and fall into a hole in the ice hidden beneath the snow.
Either way, Su Wei wouldn't be able to save him.
"We're partners." His movements slowed, and his fingers gently rubbed the soft fur on the back of Cotton Candy's neck. "Partners have to trust each other. I need your nose and ears, and you need my gun and brains. If you keep running off and doing whatever you want, there's no point in us working together."
"You have to listen to me, Cotton Candy. You have to trust me."
He let go.
Cotton Candy didn't run away immediately. Instead, he sat there in a daze, his blue eyes full of confusion.
Su Wei left him alone, intending to let him think it over himself.
He knew perfectly well that teaching Cotton Candy properly wouldn't happen overnight.
Besides, he had once been a genuine wild beast.
Today was only the beginning.
He took a portable gas stove and a camping pot out of his hiking pack, followed by a block of beef fat wrapped in wax paper, a small bag of flour, and a few pieces of beef jerky.
It was completely dark now.
The woods around him were pitch-black, and the temperature was dropping fast. The white vapor of his breath seemed to freeze the instant he exhaled.
Su Wei opened the gas canister and lit the stove.
A small cluster of blue flames flared up, bringing a little light and warmth to the darkness.
He tossed the beef fat into the pot, and its rich aroma immediately spread through the cold air.
Sizzle...
The fat melted and bubbled at the bottom of the pot.
He tossed in the rock-hard beef jerky and fried it, letting the pieces soak up the fat and soften again.
Next, he grabbed a handful of clean snow and packed it into the pot.
The snow melted as soon as it hit the heat, giving a hiss and sending up white steam.
He added a spoonful of flour and stirred rapidly with a wooden spoon, mixing everything into a pot of thick mush.
Finally, he tossed in all the remaining beef jerky, added enough snow, and covered the pot to simmer over low heat.
Out in the wilderness in winter, a pot of hot meat mush with fat and carbohydrates was more useful than any delicacy from mountain or sea.
Only after that did he have time to deal with today's harvest.
He checked the devil's claw roots again, carefully scraping the dirt off them with his military knife.
Then he wrapped everything in a spare waterproof sheet and tied it tightly with rope, fastening one end to the trunk of a nearby spruce.
The roots needed to dry quickly, or they would lose much of their medicinal potency.
He had already decided that once he returned to the cabin, he would slice them, string them up, and hang them by the fireplace to dry.
Only dried goods would fetch the best price.
At some point, Cotton Candy had come over.
He made no noise, only lying quietly at Su Wei's feet, his nose twitching toward the camping pot. He had plainly been drawn by the smell.
The pot bubbled away, and the aroma of meat and fat slipped through the gap beneath the lid, driving back a little of the surrounding chill.
Su Wei leaned against the cold rock, his back cold and the front of his body warmed by the flames. The sensation made his mind especially clear.
He took out his Browning rifle, removed the magazine, and checked the bolt and firing pin once more by the firelight.
In this wilderness, the gun was half his life, the only partner he could trust completely.
A few minutes later, the meat mush was ready.
Su Wei lifted the lid, and a blast of piping-hot meaty aroma hit his face.
He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.
The flour mush was piping hot, and the savory flavors of beef fat and venison mingled together. With little seasoning, it tasted ordinary.
But once the heat reached his stomach, his whole body warmed up.
Even the aches from a day's work seemed to ease considerably.
[Ding! You have successfully prepared and eaten "high-calorie meat mush" in a wilderness environment. Life Module experience +15.] [Life Module lv2 (18/300)] [Your "Simple Dietary Supplementation" effect has been triggered: this meal will grant you the temporary buff "Stamina Recovery (slight)" for 2 hours.]
Su Wei's eyes flickered.
The new effect from the upgraded Life Module could be triggered by such a simple preparation.
Although it was only a slight buff, any improvement in the wilderness could save his life at a critical moment.
He looked down at Cotton Candy.
The little fox was gazing longingly at the pot in his hand, making ingratiating whimpers.
Su Wei spooned a very small portion of meat mush onto the pot lid and set it on the ground to cool.
He pointed at the food, then at himself, and finally shook his head firmly.
"When I'm eating, you're not allowed to snatch food without my permission."
He pointed at the portion on the ground and nodded to him.
"That's yours."
Cotton Candy tilted his head, seemingly trying to figure out what he meant.