American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 214 The Bureaucrats' So-Called "Natural Selection" (Combined Chapter of 10,000 Words)

After hanging up the first communication, Mark told Lin Yu'an to wait for his news.

Time ticked by, and every time I passed the observation post, I couldn't help but stop and glance at the increasingly weak little guy outside.

This hour was the longest and most agonizing hour he had ever endured since he began the challenge.

Finally, the satellite phone rang again, its piercing ring breaking the deathly silence of the shelter. It was Mark calling.

“Mark.” Lin Yu’an’s voice was a little hoarse.

A heavy sigh, mixed with static, came from the other end of the phone; Mark's tone was even more weary than before.

"Ann, I have bad news, really bad news."

“I contacted an official at Environment and Climate Change Canada and even used some of my high-level media connections.”

“We found a polar bear research expert at the University of Saskatchewan and tried to put pressure on them from an academic perspective.”

"But the conclusion... is fucked up."

Mark's voice was filled with deep helplessness, "Lin, this matter is much more complicated than we thought."

"Their official response was practically copied from the standard operating procedure manual. According to statistics, the cub's chances of independent survival are less than 5%."

"Its location is too remote, and any helicopter rescue operation faces extremely high weather risks and costs."

"In accordance with the spirit of Canada's Species Risk Act, we should avoid unnecessary intervention in the natural selection process of wild animals."

"Natural selection?" Lin Yu'an was furious.

"It wasn't eliminated in competition with its own kind, nor was it due to congenital defects; it was simply abandoned by its mother! What kind of natural selection is that?"

“That’s exactly what I told them!” Mark’s voice rose, filled with frustration.

"And guess what? I backed down and said, 'Okay, since your manpower is at risk and facing difficulties, how about authorizing us?'"

“We have an emergency backup helicopter. We can cover all the costs and risks ourselves. All we need is a temporary permit, a damn piece of paper!”

"And what happened? They refused outright." Mark's tone was full of sarcasm.

“They said that authorizing non-governmental, especially foreign, commercial media outlets to handle protected species is procedurally impossible and would set a dangerous precedent.”

"I asked them, if this bear appeared on the streets of Churchill, would you rescue it? Of course they would!"

"So, this isn't some kind of bullshit principle issue at all; the real reason is politics and public relations!"

“They are afraid of the negative impact of failure. Once they decide to carry out a rescue and the helicopters fly over, the Canadian media will pounce on them like sharks smelling blood.”

"What would the news headlines be if the cubs died in their hands?"

"The Canadian government's inadequate rescue efforts, which resulted in the tragic death of a polar bear cub broadcast live globally, will be a huge public relations disaster for their national image and tourism industry."

"Therefore, letting it die naturally in some unknown corner is a zero-risk, zero-cost option for them, one that doesn't even need to be mentioned in the report."

Mark continued, "And what's even more disgusting is that they were extremely wary of our production team. That official was practically implying to me that this might be a script we'd devised for ratings."

“In his eyes, we are a profit-driven and uncontrollable American media outlet. He is worried that we are a trap we have dug for them to fall into, and that they will eventually be caught in a passive vortex of public opinion.”

"So they chose to handle it in the most conservative and bureaucratic way—that is, to do nothing."

After listening, Lin Yu'an fell completely silent. He had thought it was just a simple choice, but he never expected that behind it was a cold web woven from politics, media, international relations and bureaucracy.

And that little bear was the most innocent and vulnerable victim in this web.

"So," Lin Yu'an's voice was devoid of any warmth, "it has to die just because of their dirty political calculations and cowardly timidity?"

A long, heavy sigh came from the other end of the phone—this time, a sigh that belonged purely to an ordinary person.

He remained silent for a full ten seconds, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. When he spoke again, his tone had completely changed.

Mark is no longer the mastermind behind everything, but more like an ordinary person who talks honestly with friends in a bar.

“Lin, let’s change the subject. Let’s talk about equipment.” Mark’s tone suddenly became very calm.

"As you know, at the edge of the Arctic Circle, in environments with temperatures as low as minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, the chemical activity of lithium batteries will decrease significantly."

“The camera’s battery dying, its battery life drastically reduced, or even it crashing completely are all routine issues that our technical team deals with every day, aren’t they?”

"During this period, if your equipment loses some footage due to extreme low temperatures... from the production team's perspective, this is a completely understandable technical issue."

Mark lowered his voice even further, and Lin Yu'an instantly understood Mark's unspoken meaning.

Mark continued in that calm but suggestive tone, "And I'll do my best to think of other ways on my side."

"For example, I'll contact some non-governmental organizations, like the 'International Polar Bear Organization,' but this certainly can't be done in a day or two; it takes time. But I'll do it as soon as possible."

“Lin.” Mark’s tone regained a trace of producer’s authority, but beneath that authority lay unspeakable concern.

“I have to be responsible to the entire production team and the sponsors. I can’t risk violating Canadian law by providing you with any substantial assistance. You understand? Anything.”

"The production crew's helicopter is not going to deliver a spare battery or a piece of venison to you."

"For the rest of the time, unless you press the emergency withdrawal button or you win the challenge, the plane will only appear in the sky as part of the aerial footage."

"As the producer of the show, I have to be responsible for the entire team, the other contestants, and the company's legal and financial matters. I hope you can understand my position."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Yu stood quietly, every word Mark said echoing in his mind.

He smiled. The official indifference and Mark's tacit approval were like two heavy weights, completely crushing the defenses he had built around the "rules."

Without any further hesitation, he turned around and walked toward the several fixed cameras inside the shelter.

He reached out and paused in front of the camera for a moment, as if to confirm that they were "powered out".

This decision will leave him to face all the risks alone, but it also allows him to uphold his moral principles.

Lin Yu'an slowly pushed open the wooden door in the shelter, the one he had personally crafted.

"Squeak-"

A gust of polar wind, carrying ice crystals, rushed in, instantly dispelling the warmth from the fireplace and blowing away the last trace of hesitation in his heart.

He took a few steps forward, his boots crunching softly on the snow outside the door, and stood still in the world of that little life.

Without the obstruction of the observation port, only a few meters of cold air remained between him and it.

The little bear immediately looked over alertly, instinctively shrinking back. Lin Yu'an finally saw its eyes clearly.

Those were eyes as pure as obsidian, which should have reflected all the wonder and vibrancy of the world.

But at this moment, it was empty, filled only with a weariness that was almost extinguished by the exhaustion of life itself.

It looked at Lin Yu'an with a complex expression, a mixture of instinctive fear of the enormous creature.

But beneath the fear, a faint, heartbreaking glimmer of hope lingered in their eyes—a hope that might bring warmth and food.

Lin Yu'an understood that look all too well.

That was the look in their eyes as they clung to the last straw, exhausted all their strength on the edge of darkness and icy despair.

The little bear in front of me is just like my helpless self in the mirror, abandoned and struggling in a cold world, waiting for a miracle that may never come.

"Fuck the conventions, fuck the bureaucracy!"

"To hell with 'natural selection' and 'dangerous precedents'!"

Since the authorities have abandoned it and the rules have bound it, he will use his own methods to fight for a chance for it.

He wanted to record all of this completely in his own way.

With a slight thought, he took out the black GoPro action camera from a space known only to himself.

He skillfully secured the camera to the strap around his neck, the buckle making a crisp "click" sound, as if it were the start of a ritual.

He carefully adjusted the angle to ensure he could record all his subsequent actions from the most direct first-person perspective. After checking that the battery was full, he pressed the record button.

After a barely audible "beep," the small red dot on his chest, next to the lens, began to flash regularly in the grayish-white light of the day.

From this moment on, this camera will no longer be a detached observer of the production team, but will become the most direct and irrefutable witness to this rescue from his first-person perspective.

This camera will be his only black box; he needs to prove himself to certain people in the future—whether it's Mark, the legal system, or an audience around the world.

"What he did was not the ignorant harm of a reckless man blinded by sympathy, but a planned rescue based on science and goodwill."

After doing all this, he turned his gaze back to the little bear, his eyes filled with determination.

After doing all this, he walked to Yukii's refrigerator. He had to keep the little guy alive until the "turnaround" Mark had promised arrived.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the heavy coping stone slab with both hands, and struggled to move it away.

The moment he lifted the wooden lid, a strong, cold, fishy smell wafted out of the plastic bucket and quickly filled the surrounding air.

The little polar bear, which had been lying motionless in the snow pit like an ordinary white rock, suddenly twitched its tiny black nose violently a few times.

Its ears twitched slightly, trying to catch the scent—the scent of food—which rekindled its dying survival instinct!

It struggled, supporting its upper body with its two weak front legs, its head weakly raised, and it sniffed around blankly.

When it finally pinpointed the source of the scent—Lin Yu'an and the snow well beside him—its body erupted with a heartbreakingly weak power.

It staggered a few steps toward Lin Yu'an, its steps more like a series of uncontrollable stumbles than walking.

Its hind legs seemed particularly weak, and with each step it took, its body would tilt to one side, requiring it to use its front paws to paw hard in the snow to steady itself.

A series of urgent and weak "humming" sounds came from its throat. The sound was hoarse and thin, full of extreme longing for food, and mixed with a pitiful inability to speak loudly due to weakness.

Lin Yu'an's heart clenched at the sight.

He took three frozen red-spotted salmon from the bucket, as hard as rocks, and instead of throwing them over, he slowly stepped back a few paces and placed the fish at the entrance of the shelter.

This was his final probe, and also the final diagnosis of the little polar bear's condition.

The little bear smelled the closer and stronger scent, and a glimmer of light seemed to flash in its eyes. It hesitated for a moment, its instinctive fear preventing it from easily approaching the tall figure.

But the burning hunger in its stomach eventually overcame everything, and it limped almost dragged itself to the door, sniffing the frozen fish with its nose.

Then it picked up one of them and began to gnaw on it with its still-grown pink baby teeth.

Lin Yu-an watched quietly as the GoPro on his chest faithfully recorded this heartbreaking scene.

He heard the faint yet clear sound of teeth scraping against the frozen fish skin, "crunch...crunch...", a sound filled with futility and powerlessness.

The little bear used all its strength to shake its tiny head back and forth, trying to tear a piece of flesh from the fish, but the fish was like an unshakeable iron rod to it.

After nibbling for a long time, all I got was a row of shallow, almost invisible teeth marks on the fish and some of my own saliva.

It seemed a little impatient and confused. It stopped moving, raised its head, and looked at Lin Yu'an with its pure and helpless eyes.

Those eyes seemed to ask, "Why? Why is the food right in front of my mouth, but I can't eat it?"

Lin Yu'an did not immediately step forward, but instead spoke to the GoPro on his chest: "Its hunting ability is zero. Its milk teeth cannot break through frozen fish at all, and its jaw strength is also severely insufficient."

"This proves that it is still fully lactating and has no ability to process solid food. Giving it protein now is pointless and may even hasten its death."

His gaze was fixed on the bear cub's uncontrollably trembling body.

"It kept trembling, not from fear, but because the body was trying to generate heat to maintain its core body temperature through involuntary muscle contractions."

"This is an extremely dangerous signal, indicating that its own energy reserves have been basically exhausted, and the rate of heat production can no longer keep up with the rate of heat loss."

"Every second it stays outdoors now, its life is counting down. Even if it can eat food, it can't immediately convert it into heat to fight hypothermia."

"The priority for saving it now is not 'feeding', but 'warming it up'."

"The rescue plan must be carried out in two steps. We must immediately move it to a warm environment for passive rewarming to prevent its core body temperature from dropping further."

"Then, after its body temperature begins to stabilize, provide it with high-calorie, high-fat liquid food to replenish its energy."

This calm analysis seemed to prove that he was not an ordinary person blinded by sympathy, but a doctor who was formulating a rescue plan.

Looking into the little polar bear's watery eyes, Lin Yu'an's last line of defense, built on the principle of "not being able to touch the rules," was completely shattered.

Without further hesitation, he slowly and very gently stepped forward. This time, the little bear simply looked at him weakly, too weak to even step back.

Its body trembled uncontrollably in the cold wind, and its pure white fur was disheveled from the snow and dirt, clinging tightly to its thin frame.

Lin Yu'an squatted down, reached out, and gently hugged the bear's body in his arms. When his palm touched the bear's body, a cold sensation instantly came over him, startling him.

This was no longer the body temperature a polar bear should have; it was a sign that life was rapidly slipping away! This confirmed all his earlier judgments; the situation was worse than he had imagined.

Without wasting a second, he carefully carried the little guy, who weighed only a dozen kilograms, into the warm shelter as if he were holding the most precious porcelain.

I placed it on my sleeping bag by the fireplace, and the warm firelight immediately enveloped its small body. The dry, warm air in the shelter slowly dispelled the biting chill from its body.

Perhaps it was the sudden warmth and sense of security that the little one had never experienced before that miraculously relaxed his tense body and let out a satisfied, babyish hum.

It even awkwardly stretched its hind legs, burying itself deeper into the soft sleeping bag.

The tiny red dot on the GoPro lens is perfectly capturing this tender moment that transcends species.

Lin Yu'an knelt beside the sleeping bag and reached out his hand, just wanting to help it adjust its position so that it could get closer to the flames.

But just as his palm approached, the little bear instinctively and tentatively rubbed its furry little face against his warm, dry palm.

The movements were very light, with a hint of hesitation, as if to confirm that the enormous creature meant no harm.

The moment the soft down touched the skin of his palm, an indescribable sensation, like a warm current, instantly struck the deepest part of Lin Yu'an's heart.

Lin Yu'an could feel the subtle bone outlines beneath its skin and its barely perceptible body temperature.

He smiled, his movements becoming even gentler, and he scratched the little guy's chin with his finger.

The little bear squinted comfortably, making gurgling sounds in its throat, and even rolled over, revealing its unsuspecting furry belly.

Lin Yu'an said softly to the little guy who seemed to understand, "Welcome to my home. You'll have to hold on until they arrive."

He knew that the immediate priority was to raise its body temperature and prepare a meal that it could digest and absorb.

Warmth alone can only delay death; only energy can reverse the process.

"For a two-month-old polar bear cub, its only staple food is its mother's milk, which has a fat content of over 30%."

Facing the GoPro camera on his chest, Lin Yu'an spoke in a deep, steady voice, beginning to record his thought process. This was both a professional explanation to potential future listeners and an irrefutable testimony to his desperate act of challenging rules and the law.

"Feeding it meat directly will only harm it, as its digestive system, especially the enzyme system that breaks down proteins, is not yet fully developed."

“I have to make a ‘milk substitute’ for it, a high-fat, high-calorie life-saving meal that can simulate the composition of breast milk as much as possible. This is its only chance to survive now.”

He walked to a corner of the shelter and picked up the wolf oil pouch he had painstakingly scraped off.

In the flickering light of the fireplace, this package, wrapped in birch bark and containing a mixture of pale yellow fat and white fascia, was more precious than gold at that moment.

He gently unfolded the grease packet on a clean stone slab, releasing a cool, wild greasey aroma.

Examining these hard-won materials carefully, the subcutaneous fat layer was relatively pure, while the fat peeled from the casing contained more fascia tissue.

What he needed was the purest, most refined energy. He placed the small iron pot steadily on the stones next to the fire, ensuring that it was heated evenly and stably.

Then, with the tip of his hunting knife, he picked out a few of the thickest fat clumps that had been peeled off the casing from the grease pouch, carefully cut them off, and threw them into the pot.

The cold chunks of fat sizzled with a pleasant sizzle as soon as they touched the hot pan bottom, which had been preheated by the flames.

The edges of the fat rapidly became transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then began to melt, with wisps of white steam rising up—that was the evaporation of residual moisture from the fat.

He didn't let the fire burn too brightly. Instead, he used a sturdy stick to move aside the few burning pieces of firewood, leaving only the steadily burning, glowing embers underneath.

What's needed is a sustained low to medium heat, a temperature that allows for stable oil production without burning the oil.

The grease sizzled and melted continuously at high temperatures, and a rich, unique aroma of burnt animal fat, along with a fishy smell, gradually overpowered the smell of burning firewood in the shelter.

But this is the energy base for this "baby meal," and the fishy smell is not a big deal.

While he was focused on refining oil, the little polar bear he had placed on the sleeping bag seemed to have regained some strength from its initial extreme weakness.

It stopped sleeping and struggled to lift its little head. It lay quietly on the soft sleeping bag, staring at him with its obsidian-like eyes, unblinking.

It was an extremely complex look in its eyes. At first, it was pure curiosity, and its little head turned slightly as Lin Yu'an moved.

Two furry little ears, like radar, detect every sound within the shelter.

The slight clinking sound when Lin Yu'an picked up the iron pot would make its ears perk up alertly, and its eyes would follow closely when it went to the storage area to rummage for things.

It's like a human infant entering a strange world for the first time, full of curiosity about everything around it. Gradually, that curiosity is mixed with an indescribable sense of dependence.

Occasionally, a small spark would pop out of the fireplace with a soft "crackling" sound, startling the little bear. But its first reaction was not to look around in panic.

Instead, they immediately turned their gaze to Lin Yu'an, as if to confirm whether the tall figure was still there, as if only by seeing him could they be sure that they were safe.

Lin Yu'an noticed this detail, and his hand movements became even gentler and more steady.

He picked up a flat wooden spoon carved from birchwood and patiently used the edge of the spoon to gently press the slowly shrinking fat lumps in the pot, accelerating the extraction of oil.

Under his manipulation, the solid, opaque fat was gradually transformed into a clear, slightly smoky golden liquid.

As time passed, the fat chunks in the pot grew smaller and their color darker.

When they were finally squeezed dry, turning into golden and crispy cracklings, Lin Yu'an carefully scooped them out with a wooden spoon and placed them on a clean piece of birch bark.

These oil residues are an excellent source of energy, but this one doesn't belong to that little guy.

Now, only a thin layer of clear, scalding hot wolf oil, like melted amber, remains in the pot.

Lin Yu'an turned around and glanced at the little bear. The moment their eyes met, the little bear did not look away, but simply looked back quietly.

His eyes were as pure as an uncarved piece of black jade, reflecting the warm firelight of the fireplace and Lin Yu'an's busy figure.

It seems to be trying to remember the creature that gave it warmth and security in this silent way.

Lin Yu'an's heart was touched once again. He pointed to the GoPro on his chest and softly added his analysis, his voice carrying a barely perceptible sigh.

“Look, it’s just staring at me without making a sound, which is very unusual.”

“A healthy cub at this age should be very active, even a little noisy, and will use humming to beg for food.”

"Its quietness is a learned behavior, a forced 'understanding'."

He paused for a moment, connecting his previous observations with the scene at hand, forming a complete logical chain.

"I had placed it at the door and given it fish. The smell was irresistible to it, but it was still very hesitant. It only dared to come forward after I stepped back."

"What does it mean that it still showed extreme caution and hesitation even though it knew there was food?"

"This shows that in its perception, 'food' is equated with 'competition' and even 'danger'."

"I'm almost certain that when it was with its mother, it wasn't the only cub; it likely had one, or even two, stronger siblings."

"Every time it nurses, it has to wait until all the other cubs have finished eating before it can nurse."

"Even when food is scarce, mother bears will instinctively prioritize resources for their offspring with higher survival rates in order to ensure the continuation of the species."

"It was very likely that the mother bear pushed it away with her nose, or even squeezed to the side by a stronger sibling."

"Therefore, it learned to wait and be quiet, and not to ask for things. Because it knows that making noise and fighting may not bring food, but rather exclusion from its own kind and cold treatment from its mother."

"It's the same now. It smells the aroma of food, but it doesn't dare to come over because it's unsure if it's worthy of enjoying it. It can only express its longing with its eyes."

This speculation made Lin Yu'an feel even heavier.

He looked at the little guy curled up on the sleeping bag and it was as if he saw a child in a cruel world who had been deprived of the right to be spoiled and willful.

I took a deep breath, suppressed all my emotions, and focused all my attention back on the task at hand.

While refining the oil, he began preparing two other key ingredients. He took out the wolf's heart, which he had carefully preserved, and a small piece of liver, and placed them on the cutting board.

"The heart is pure muscle with tough fibers that provide the highest quality protein and are the foundation for growth and development."

"The liver, rich in vitamin A and iron, is a natural treasure trove of nutrients and can be considered a multivitamin supplement in this formula."

"But both must be processed into the most digestible and liquid-like form." He explained the principles behind each step in a low voice to the GoPro camera.

With his sharp hunting knife, he first cut a small piece of muscle from the large, dark red wolf's heart.

They deliberately avoided the tough parts connecting the blood vessels and the ventricles, taking only the purest muscle tissue from the heart wall, slicing the meat into extremely thin pieces, and then repeatedly pounding it.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

After pounding for a full five minutes, the originally firm piece of meat had turned into a loose, dark red meat paste, but that wasn't enough.

He tilted the blade at a very small angle, keeping it close to the cutting board, and scraped away the shattered muscle tissue bit by bit.

Each time the blade slices through, it brings down a layer of fine, almost fibrous, red minced meat.

This process is slow and requires great patience and precise wrist control, but he does it meticulously.

Because any large, unprocessed fiber could become a burden on the cub's fragile intestines, or even cause intestinal obstruction.

After he finished processing the heart, there was a small pile of minced meat on the cutting board, as delicate as red velvet.

He then used the same method to process an even smaller piece of liver, explaining it to the camera again.

“Bear cubs are not as good as adult bears. Excessive vitamin A is highly toxic to any mammal, so wolf liver can only be added as a trace element and should never be used in excess.”

The liver is much softer than the heart, so it hardly needs to be pounded. You can scrape off a layer of dark, pasty substance by gently scraping it with a knife.

It is darker in color, has a smoother texture, and emits a strong metallic smell.

When all the ingredients are ready and the wolf oil in the pot has turned golden brown, move the pot completely away from the fire and place it on a cool stone to let it cool naturally.

He glanced every now and then at the little bear curled up on the sleeping bag. The little guy was surrounded by the aroma of food and warmth, and was sleeping much more soundly, with a slight but steady rise and fall in his chest.

You can't use boiling oil, as it will cause the proteins to denature and coagulate instantly, forming hard, indigestible lumps. What's needed is a gentle temperature that allows all the substances to blend perfectly.

He didn't have a thermometer, but he had a better tool—the ice and snow of the entire Labrador peninsula.

He picked up the scorching hot iron pot, walked to the entrance of the shelter, and stomped a flat snow pit in the ground. Then he placed the bottom of the iron pot steadily in the snow pit.

"Zi-"

With a soft sound, the snow that touched the bottom of the pot instantly melted and evaporated, releasing a puff of white steam. The snow was absorbing the heat from the iron pot and the wolf oil with remarkable efficiency.

He didn't leave, but squatted down beside it, using a clean little wooden stick to stir the oil from time to time, feeling the changes in the oil's viscosity.

Hot oil is very thin, but it gradually becomes viscous as the temperature drops.

About half a minute later, he lifted the stick up, and the oil dripping from it slowed down significantly, indicating that the temperature had dropped considerably.

"Now is the crucial time for allocation."

He first used a birch bark bowl to scoop out about two portions of warm wolf fat from the pot, and then he scooped the small pile of minced heart and liver paste into the bowl.

Using a small, cleanly shaved wooden stick, start stirring continuously in the same direction at a constant speed.

"Fat is the core ingredient, mimicking the high calories of breast milk. Protein and vitamins are added as supplements, and water is used to regulate the concentration and replenish fluids to prevent dehydration."

As he stirred, a wonderful change occurred; the originally distinct oil and minced meat began to slowly blend together.

He stirred the mixture while adding water very slowly, which emulsified the mixture.

The originally clear oil began to become cloudy and thick, and its color gradually changed from pure gold to a slightly pinkish, opaque milky white.

He stirred very carefully, his arm steady and his pace unhurried. He made sure all the minced meat and liver paste in the bowl were completely separated, without any tiny lumps.

Soon, a bowl of liquid food with a slightly pinkish color, a uniform texture, and a rich aroma of oil and flesh was ready.

It looks like a bowl of thick meat soup, with a thin layer of golden oil on the surface, smelling of both the caramelized fat and the raw, fishy smell of meat.

He then placed the life-saving milk substitute in a shallow bowl made of birch bark and gently brought it to the little bear.

The bear's nose began to twitch violently again, as if it had been awakened from its sleep by the closer, more direct smell of food.

It instinctively knew that this was the food it truly needed, and that the aroma contained the energy it craved deep within its blood.

Struggling to lift its head, it looked sleepily at the bowl in front of it, leaned closer, and stuck out its tiny pink tongue to tentatively lick the edge of the mixture in the bowl.

For a moment, it seemed to be stunned, and an unbelievable light burst forth from its obsidian-like eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a deep-seated craving for high-fat foods was ignited.

The next second, it buried its entire little face in the bowl without hesitation and made an eager and satisfied "glug glug" sucking sound.

The sound was loud and urgent; the person even choked on their food because they were eating too fast, letting out two pitiful coughs and spitting out a little milky white liquid from their nostrils.

But it just shook its head vigorously and then immediately buried its face back, letting out a low growl as if it were guarding its food, as if afraid that the bowl of life-saving food would suddenly disappear.

Lin Yu'an squatted to the side, a relieved smile finally appearing on his face.

Gently stroking the little guy's furry back, feeling the faint but struggling life beating under my palm.

He could feel that as the food was swallowed, the little guy's trembling had completely stopped, and it was as if a small stove was being rekindled in his cold body.

A faint but real warmth was slowly traveling up his spine and into his palm.

He knew he had made a decision that could lead to enormous trouble, but looking at the little guy who was swallowing the hope of life, he felt it was all worth it.

Beyond the cold, hard laws of the wilderness, there are always things worth protecting.

The little bear quickly finished all the "milk substitute" in the bowl. It even used its tiny pink tongue to carefully lick the bottom and sides of the birch bark bowl again and again.

It makes a crisp "splat, splat" sound, unwilling to let go of any precious drop of fat.

After licking away the last trace of flavor, it let out a small, satisfied burp, the sound so cute it made you want to smile.

Its belly swelled up at a visible speed, transforming from a sunken shape due to hunger into a round, taut ball, like a little ball filled with hope.

The white fur around its mouth turned a translucent light yellow due to the grease, making it look like a child who hadn't wiped his mouth after eating cream—funny yet adorable.

After eating and drinking my fill, a strong, irresistible feeling of drowsiness, mixed with warmth and a sense of security, swept over me like a tide.

Its eyelids started to droop, and its little head bobbed up and down as if trying to fight off sleepiness, but eventually it gave in completely.

She let out a huge, adorable yawn that almost dislocated her jaw, revealing her pink gums and baby teeth that hadn't fully grown in yet without any defenses.

Then, with her head tilted to the side, before she could even adjust her posture, she fell into a deep sleep on Lin Yu'an's soft sleeping bag, filled with warmth and contentment.

This time, its breathing became long and steady, no longer rapid and weak as before.

His small chest rose and fell evenly with his breathing, and he even made a soft, satisfied "snoring" sound.

In its sleep, one of its little paws twitched unconsciously, as if chasing after some beautiful dream.

Lin Yu watched it sleeping peacefully, and a genuine, relieved smile appeared on her face as she looked at this little life that had been pulled back from the brink of death.

He spoke softly to the GoPro still flashing on his chest: "Many people have a deep misunderstanding of the word 'hunter.' When they hear 'hunter,' the first word that comes to mind is probably 'killing.'"

"They see hunters as destroyers of nature, as synonymous with bloodshed."

His gaze, peering through the observation port, fell upon the vast, desolate snowfield bathed in moonlight, his eyes growing deep.

"But a true hunter is not a butcher. A butcher only cares about meat and skin."

"The hunter reveres life and the land beneath his feet. He understands that he is a link in this huge ecological chain, not a master that reigns supreme over it."

He turned his head and looked gently at the little life curled up in the sleeping bag, sleeping peacefully. His voice softened considerably.

"And today, I chose to rescue this cub. This may seem to contradict my hunting of that wolf yesterday, but in fact, they follow the same core principle—balance."

“A qualified hunter plays a role more like a gardener. He will prune dead branches that threaten the health of the forest and remove invasive species that damage the ecosystem.”

"But he would also straighten the saplings that had been blown down by the wind but had a chance to survive. Because he knew that only if the whole forest was healthy could he survive here for a long time."

"So, for me, the identity of a hunter has never just meant killing and acquiring."

"It also means protection and inheritance, protecting the balance of this land, and protecting those lives that should not wither away prematurely, like this little guy, who deserves a chance to live."

Lin Yu'an didn't say another word, but quietly walked back to the fireplace and added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire.

The flames crackled and danced, spreading their warm light more evenly throughout the shelter.

This also allows the little guy who unexpectedly entered his life to sleep more soundly.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside this small shelter, there was a silent warmth.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(Readers, the lottery results will be announced tonight at 8 PM! Those who haven't voted yet need to hurry, there are only 4 hours left.)
(Readers who skipped ahead can refer to the previous chapter for event details.)
(End of this chapter)