American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 222 Daily Survival on the Icefield (Seeking monthly votes, but I don't want to be the fuel for those votes. Hmph.)
It excitedly burrowed around in the snow, frantically digging at the snow with its four paws, scattering snowflakes everywhere, some even splashing onto Lin Yu'an's face.

Sometimes it buries its whole head in the snow, leaving only its round, wiggling little bottom sticking out, like an ostrich searching for seashells in the sand.

Occasionally, it would find a small tree, prop itself up against it, and suddenly stand up, sticking its head out. Its black nose and lips were already surrounded by a ring of white "frost".

But the two obsidian-like eyes looked exceptionally bright against the backdrop of the white snow.

Watching it frolic in the snow, Lin Yu'an felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Lin Yu'an knew that this was how it should be. No matter how warm the shelter was, it was only a temporary refuge. This icy and snowy land was its true home.

After playing for a while, Lin Yu'an took out the bright red rubber ball from his pocket.

"Hey December, look here!"

He shouted and waved the ball in front of December. The little guy, who was rolling around in the snow, twitched his ears and immediately popped out of the snow.

He shook the snow off his head, and his attention was instantly drawn to the familiar bright red toy.

Lin Yu'an didn't give it to him immediately. Instead, he took a few steps back and then, mimicking the motion of throwing a baseball, forcefully threw the rubber ball forward onto the ice.

The red ball traced a bright straight line across the pristine white snow, bouncing and rolling a great distance with almost no resistance.

It finally stopped a few dozen meters away, standing out like an enticing little berry in the white world.

December was stunned for a moment. Its eyes followed the rolling red dot closely, and its whole body lowered down, assuming a standard hunting posture.

Instantly, those bright black eyes locked onto the red target, and the hunting instinct was fully activated!

With a sudden burst of strength from its limbs, it sprang to life like a small white cannonball, running vigorously across the solid snow.

My body wasn't coordinated enough, and I still looked a bit comical when I ran. My bottom wiggled like a rolling ball of yarn, leaving a string of cute footprints of varying depths in the snow.

It quickly rushed to the ball, but didn't pick it up immediately. First, it circled the ball twice, then tentatively extended its front paw and slapped the ball hard.

The ball was knocked away and rolled out, and it immediately chased after it, knocking it again. It was having a great time, just like a kitten playing with its prey.

After confirming that its red "prey" was powerless to resist, it opened its mouth with satisfaction and clumsily picked up the ball, which was bigger than its head.

It turned its head, looking proudly at Lin Yu'an in the distance, and made a muffled "woof" sound in its throat, as if to say, "Look, I caught my prey! Aren't you amazing!"

"Well done, December! Bring it back!" Lin Yu'an clapped his hands with a smile and gave it the command.

December, carrying that huge ball in its mouth, had its vision obstructed, and it huffed and puffed its way back.

Instead of dropping the ball directly, it ran around Lin Yu'an once, as if conducting a victory parade, before finally dropping the ball at his feet.

Then it tilted its head back, stuck out its long, pink tongue, and panted, like a puppy waiting for its owner's praise.

"Fantastic! You're the best hunter I've ever seen!" Lin Yu'an didn't hold back his praise. He bent down and vigorously rubbed December's snow-covered head.

And so, on this quiet, sun-drenched frozen lake, a man and a bear began the simplest and happiest game of "you throw, I pick up".

The red ball was thrown far away again and again, and the white figure chased after it with all its might.

In December, the laughter of a man and a bear broke the extreme tranquility of this land, injecting the most vibrant and warm life force into this cold, icy plain.

This is not just play; through this kind of game, the December is being trained in physical fitness, speed, and reaction ability, as well as its instinct to track prey.

All of this was beautifully captured by the small GoPro camera on his chest.

After playing wildly for about an hour, December was clearly exhausted.

It no longer chased the ball tirelessly as before, but instead carried the ball to Lin Yu'an's feet and then plopped down on the ice with a "thud".

She stuck out her pink tongue and gasped for breath, her small chest heaving violently like a rapidly working bellows.

Lin Yu'an knew that for cubs of this age, this amount of exercise had reached its limit.

He walked up to her with a smile, took the drool-covered rubber ball from December's mouth, and put it back in his pocket.

"Alright, that's enough for today." He bent down and gently stroked December's back, which was slightly feverish from the strenuous exercise.

"You played exceptionally well. Now, we need to replenish our energy and get some rest."

He didn't let December walk back on its own. Seeing how exhausted it looked like a lump of mud, Lin Yu'an simply stretched out his arms, scooped it up, and held it steadily in his arms.

December immediately let out a satisfied hum. It nestled its heavy little head into Lin Yu'an's warm embrace, adjusted its position, and found the most comfortable spot.

She closed her eyes almost instantly, her long eyelashes drooping down, looking like she could fall asleep at any moment.

Holding the warm yet heavy little creature, Lin Yu'an did not return directly to the shelter. All necessary outdoor checks had to be completed before returning indoors after outdoor activities.

First, I slowly walked to the snow hut that was quietly working. As I approached the soapstone stove, a warm current mixed with the heat of charcoal and the rich aroma of wood wafted over me.

Seeing that the charcoal inside was still burning steadily, he grabbed two large handfuls of damp sawdust and evenly covered the smoky area to ensure that the smoke would continue to be produced.

Then, Lin Yu'an removed a snow brick from the snow house, and a thicker plume of smoke immediately poured out from the gap.

He peered inside in the bright sunlight and saw that the red-spotted salmon hanging there had turned a light yellow color in just over an hour.

"Everything is going well. The smoke factory and cooling system are working perfectly, and the fish is slowly absorbing the flavors. We expect to be able to taste the first batch of finished products by tomorrow morning."

After the check-up was complete, he carried the now drowsy December back to the warm shelter.

Upon entering the room, he first gently placed December on its own warm and soft wolfskin bed.

The little guy barely reacted; he simply shifted to a more comfortable position and continued to sleep soundly, his even, soft snoring soon filling the air.

Lin Yu'an finally had time to sit down, take out the rugged electronic recorder, and conduct a detailed review and record of the successful outdoor activity that morning.

As he recalled, he typed text on the screen:
[Research Data Recording]

Date: December 4th

Time slot: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Event: First outdoor acclimatization activity.

Location: East of the shelter, in the solid ice and snow area of ​​the lake.

Activities:

Independent exploration (approximately 40 minutes): The cubs initially show brief hesitation and exploration upon first touching the ice, but quickly adapt and exhibit high levels of excitement. Key behaviors include running, rolling around, digging in the snow with their front paws, and burying their heads in the snow.

Interactive game (approx. 20 minutes): "Fetch" using a red rubber ball. The cubs accurately identify and chase the target, achieving a 100% success rate in retrieving it, demonstrating strong play motivation and nascent hunting and tracking instincts.

Physiological response assessment: Significant signs of fatigue appeared in the later stages of the activity, manifested as increased respiratory rate, panting with tongue protrusion, and slowed movement. The estimated endurance for sustained high-intensity exercise at this stage is approximately 25-30 minutes.

Preliminary conclusion: The cubs exhibit exceptional adaptability to outdoor icy and snowy environments, and their natural instincts have been well-developed. In the future, they should be encouraged to engage in similar outdoor activities at least once daily to improve their physical fitness, coordination, and provide necessary environmental enrichment. At the same time, it is important to control the duration of these activities to avoid overexertion.

After finishing his notes, he looked at the detailed report he had spent almost an hour writing and felt a great sense of satisfaction.

This is not just a simple exercise, but also a scientific record of a purposeful, observable, and conclusive activity.

Looking at December sleeping soundly, Lin Yu'an knew that in the next few hours, he would have a precious time that was completely his own and undisturbed.

"Hi guys, it's 12:30 pm now. The bear cub is asleep, and the cold smoke has started. I need to go out and check the smoke every hour to make sure everything is in order."

"After a busy morning, I finally have time to cook myself a meal."

He walked to a corner of the shelter where the snowshoe rabbit was placed. Yesterday, when he was processing it, he had cut the rabbit meat into small pieces suitable for cooking and preservation and put them into the snow scene refrigerator.

Now, after sitting by the fireplace all morning, the meat has thawed and regained its tender texture.

Just as he was about to start cooking, the recorder emitted its first soft beep. Lin Yu'an put down his work, put on his coat, and picked up a few pieces of charcoal from the fireplace with a tin bucket.

Then they went to the smokehouse, skillfully added new charcoal and damp sawdust, and only returned to the shelter after confirming that everything was in order.

Upon returning, he noticed a potential danger: a blizzard overnight had left an astonishingly thick layer of fresh snow on the roof of his shelter.

"This is not a good thing."

He looked up at the snow layer that was almost pressing down on the vents and explained to the camera, "Originally, I hoped that the snow would accumulate on top and form a natural snow blanket to enhance the insulation effect."

"But now, this thickness is beyond the safe range. Snow looks light, but after a lot of it is piled up, the weight is amazing."

His finger pointed to the chimney outlet, which was made of stones and mud. "My roof is sloping, and the snow slides down under gravity, creating a lateral thrust on this chimney."

"With such thick snow now, the pressure is enormous, which could cause the chimney structure to loosen or even collapse. If the chimney has a problem, the shelter will be uninhabitable."

"Therefore, I must now carry out a roof load reduction operation."

He returned to the shelter and retrieved a tool he rarely used: a birch stick he had used to clear snow from the roof. The stick had almost been burned as firewood, but it had unexpectedly come in handy again. Lin Yu'an first climbed onto a relatively low snowdrift on the side of the shelter, then carefully moved to the edge of the roof.

First, large squares are drawn on the thick snow layer. Then, the snow knife is inserted horizontally into the bottom of the snow layer. Using the lever principle, the heavy snow blocks are pried loose and pushed down.

The snow shards crashed to the ground with a loud thud, kicking up a cloud of snow mist.

He cleared away the excess snow from the roof layer by layer, paying particular attention to clearing the snow around the chimney to relieve the lateral pressure on it.

Ultimately, he left only about half a meter of compacted snow on the roof, which provided optimal insulation without posing too much risk.

After doing all this, Lin Yu'an, drenched in sweat once again, finally felt his stomach begin to protest strongly.

Back in the warm indoors, I prepared a late, hearty lunch to reward myself for a hard morning's work.

He put the prepared rabbit meat pieces into an iron pot, first submerged them in a small amount of snow water, and then quickly brought them to a boil over a fire.

A layer of grayish blood foam quickly rose to the surface of the water. This foam was carefully skimmed off with a wooden spoon.

While skimming off the foam, she shared her cooking tips: "This step is crucial when stewing any meat, especially game. Removing the foam removes most of the fishy smell."

"Snowshoe rabbit meat is high in protein but low in fat, so it will be quite dry if roasted directly. Long-term stewing allows the collagen and flavor compounds in the meat to fully dissolve into the broth."

Remove the blanched rabbit meat pieces from the pot, discard the cloudy water, and add clean snow water back in.

Then, I took out a few pieces of thawed, hardened mussel meat and put them together with the blanched rabbit meat pieces, ready to proceed to the next step.

"Simply removing the fishy smell is not enough. The real challenge is how to bring out the most exquisite flavor from simple ingredients when resources are limited."

He took out a small jar made of birch bark from the corner where supplies were stored. It contained some remaining milky white solid wolf oil.

Pick out some wolf fat and put it into a hot, empty iron pot. The fat melts quickly, making a sizzling sound.

When the oil is hot enough, even starting to emit a faint blue smoke, add the blanched rabbit meat pieces and thawed mussel meat to the pot!

"Thorn--!"

The moment the ingredients come into contact with the hot oil, a loud bang erupts, and a large amount of steam carrying a rich aroma rises up.

He quickly stirred the ingredients in the pot with a wooden spoon.

Under the influence of the high temperature of the wolf oil, the surface of the rabbit meat shrinks rapidly, changing from its previous grayish-white color to an enticing golden yellow.

The mussel meat underwent another frying process, and the frozen fishy smell was quickly evaporated and removed under high temperature, replaced by a reactivated fresh ocean aroma.

He only poured clean water into the boiling iron pot after all the rabbit meat pieces were coated with a uniform golden-brown color.

Another loud "sizzle" followed, and instantly white waves surged in the pot.

Finally, he sprinkled in only a little coarse salt that he had refined himself, then placed the iron pot on the fireplace fire, covered it, and began to simmer it slowly.

Another hour passed, and the recorder alarm rang again. Lin Yu'an went out to conduct a second inspection of the fumigation room, and everything was still perfect.

When he returned to the shelter, an unprecedented, rich, almost solidified fragrance had completely filled the space.

When he returned to the warm shelter from the cold, pure air outside, the rich aroma that had been simmering for so long was instantly amplified several times over and filled his nostrils.

It has a complex aroma with very little fishy or muttony smell, leaving only the most essential flavors of both.

The two flavors blend perfectly in the bubbling broth, making the whole pot of soup smell both rich and clean, full of the most original aroma of meat broth.

Inside the shelter, the only sounds were the crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace and the bubbling of broth boiling in the iron pot.

Outside, the sunlight quietly spilled onto the boundless snowfield, and the white snow house smoke house continuously emitted wisps of white smoke into the air.

It was a peaceful and perfect polar afternoon.

Time passed slowly. The rabbit soup in the iron pot continued to simmer and bubble under the constant licking of the fireplace flames.

It was this increasingly intense aroma of meat broth that quietly penetrated the dormant depths of December's consciousness and awakened its most primal instincts.

December, who had been sleeping soundly on the wolfskin bed like a white marshmallow, began to unconsciously twitch her little nostrils at an extremely high frequency.

It seemed to be dreaming, chasing a beautiful phantom made of taste. Its little mouth even smacked unconsciously, and a muffled, longing murmur escaped from deep in its throat.

Finally, stimulated by the fragrance, its long eyelashes trembled violently a few times, and it suddenly opened its eyes.

It was still a little groggy from just waking up, its vision unfocused, just staring blankly around.

But upon smelling that incredibly real and rich aroma of meat, its brain seemed to be instantly activated, and all its senses focused on the single source.

It slept for more than three hours. The combined effects of the strenuous exercise in the morning and the long sleep had brought its hunger to an unprecedented peak.

It immediately climbed off the wolf-skin bed, even stretching out a big yawn to loosen its rapidly growing body.

Then, it stretched its neck and made an anxious and loud "Awoo-Awoo-" sound towards Lin Yu'an, who was sitting by the fireplace carving a wooden bowl.

"Alright, alright, I heard you, little gluttonous bear." Lin Yu'an was amused by its appearance of being awakened by the aroma. He put down his work and got up to walk towards the supply box.

"Your little nose is really sharp. But that pot of soup is my lunch, and your deluxe meal will be ready soon. Let's eat together today."

He skillfully began the process of preparing the formula. This time, he didn't give a detailed explanation; he simply completed each step quietly and attentively.

Soon, a bottle of perfectly chilled and generously portioned Bear's Deluxe Feast was ready.

December was already impatiently circling around his feet.

Upon seeing the bottle finished, it immediately stood up, its two front paws gripping Lin Yu'an's legs, its head tilted back, and it made whimpering urging sounds.

"Here it comes, here it comes, don't rush." ​​Lin Yu'an smiled, not sitting down and feeding it as usual.

He first dragged the soft, thick wolfskin bed closer to the fireplace, leading December to her special dining spot and setting her in a comfortable semi-reclining position.

Then he handed over the huge baby bottle.

December immediately stretched out her two furry front paws excitedly and hugged the milk bottle tightly in her arms, the action as practiced as if she had rehearsed it countless times.

It didn't even wait for Lin Yu'an to help; it adjusted its angle, stretched its neck, and precisely inserted the blunt, round silicone nipple into its mouth.

"Glug, glug..." The satisfying sound of swallowing in large gulps immediately rang out.

It lay there on its back, paws in the air, its two front paws firmly holding a bottle bigger than a baby bottle, while its two hind legs were comfortably stretched out, revealing its pink paw pads.

His relaxed demeanor is just like that of a human child lying on the sofa, drinking a beverage and watching TV.

Seeing that December could already "handle" her own lunch, Lin Yu'an breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled, shook her head, and began preparing her own lunch.

He carefully took the scalding hot iron pot, which had been simmering for hours, from the fireplace and placed it on the stone slab beside him.

Lifting the lid, an even richer and more fragrant aroma, mixed with billowing white steam, suddenly rose up.

The soup in the pot had turned an enticing milky white, and the large chunks of rabbit meat were stewed until they separated from the bone, falling apart at the slightest touch of a wooden spoon.

Lin Yu'an filled a large bowl made of birch bark with rabbit soup. He blew on it and then took a big, satisfying gulp.

The taste is by no means "refined," and it even has a faint, complex, and unpleasant odor.

However, without spices or sufficient seasonings, Lin Yu-an had already suppressed the odor to a minimum by blanching and stir-frying.

The final result, though not perfect, was certainly full of power. Every sip of scalding hot soup that slid into his stomach felt like a direct injection of energy into his body, which craved fat and protein.

He looked up at his dining companion. December was still in that comical pose, happily drinking from her milk bottle, her eyes comfortably squinted into slits, seemingly completely immersed in her own culinary world.

Inside the shelter, a wondrous and incredibly harmonious scene unfolded.

Bathed in the flickering orange light of the fire, a tall man was drinking large gulps of steaming hot meat soup, his face full of satisfaction after a hard day's work.

Not far from his feet, a white polar bear cub was lying on its back, hugging a huge milk bottle and drinking scientifically formulated, fragrant milk.

A human and a bear, one drinking meat soup and the other drinking milk, do not disturb each other, yet in the same warm space, they create a cozy atmosphere like family.

While eating the tender, fall-off-the-bone rabbit meat, Lin Yu'an would occasionally glance at December to make sure its milk bottle wasn't tilted.

A gentle smile, unnoticed even by himself, always graced the corners of his mouth.

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.

(December: "Awoo-Awoo-Monthly Ticket-Mmm!")
(End of this chapter)