You are a cat demon

With your mother leading the way, you followed closely behind, forming a single file. Your mother compacted the snow under her feet so that it would be easier for you to walk.

Over this time, you've grown quite a bit, almost as big as your mother. For example, your ear tips can almost reach her eyebrows. And your appearance changes every day. Having weathered the awkward months, you're all becoming more and more handsome—the males increasingly dashing, and the females increasingly beautiful, at least according to the cat demon's aesthetic standards. Your hunting skills are also getting stronger; you're adept at climbing trees to raid bird nests and catching fish in rivers.

You started helping Mother hunt weeks ago. The whole family of cat demons worked together, making it much easier to find and capture prey. Although the number of prey was not as high as in spring and summer, the hunting efficiency was significantly higher. At the very least, we could make a living.

Following in your mother's footsteps, you crane your neck like a farm goose, looking around and trying to sniff the air, but all you see is a blanket of white. The snow covers the prey's tracks and its scent.

You and the other three cat demons were initially very curious about the world after the heavy snow, but when faced with a more pressing problem, you knew what was more important. A considerable amount of time had passed, and the cave was no longer visible from where you were. A long trail of footprints stretched across the snow, seemingly endless, yet you had found nothing. The cat demons, who had been whispering amongst themselves, fell silent, and in that silence, you could even sense a hint of anxiety.

Fortunately, they hadn't gone far when the mother stopped, put her nose to the snow, and sniffed hard, as if she had discovered something.

You joined in too.

As I approached, a faint rabbit scent wafted over me, though it was very faint, I could still detect it if I sniffed carefully. Sure enough, there were rabbit footprints nearby. From the scent and footprints, I could deduce that at least one rabbit had been here not long ago, and although I couldn't see it now, it certainly hadn't gone far.

The little cat demons immediately seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline, their eyes shining brightly.

Following the scent and footprints, you climbed over a small hill and found a wild rabbit. It was squatting in a shallow snowdrift, digging at the roots of grass, its long, large ears twitching constantly, and its brown body standing out against the snow.

The important thing is to first find the prey; only after having a clear target can you proceed to the next step.

Your family quickly exchanged glances and assigned each other tasks.

The hunt began, with Mother making the first move. The hare leaped from its snowdrift with a "whoosh" and took off running. Just as the hare was about to escape, the eldest brother, hiding in a tree, jumped down, attempting a crushing attack to overpower it. Unfortunately, the branches covered in icicles were slippery, and the eldest brother missed, but this did disrupt the hare's pace, slowing it slightly before it quickly regained its speed. At this moment, you, the second brother, and the fourth brother also emerged from behind their respective rocks, joining the chase. The second and fourth brothers pursued the hare from its left and right rear respectively, while you took the lead. The hare darted into the bushes, and you followed. The hare leaped over a dead tree blocking the path, and you leaped over it too. Soon, the distance between you and the hare was closing, and it looked like you were about to bite its tail—

"brush!"

The hare suddenly made a sharp turn, completing a 90-degree turn in almost 0.1 seconds, and then ran straight to the left.

You reacted quickly. The instant the rabbit turned around, you flicked your tail, lifted your four paws into the air, and completed the turn in mid-air. Not only did you not waste time, but you also shortened the distance a little. You felt the fur on the rabbit's tail tickling your nose.

Luckily you were prepared, otherwise you would have been like the fourth one, unable to stop and slid forward due to inertia, plunging headfirst into the snowdrift. As for the second one, it had been chasing the hare to its left rear. When the hare ran to the left, it was as if the hare darted past it diagonally. It was slightly taken aback, but quickly changed direction, but unfortunately, it still managed to create a considerable distance between itself and the hare.

Now you're the only one chasing after the hare.

You're starting to get tired.

The cat demon wasn't good at long-distance running. You felt your heart rate increasing rapidly, blood rushing to your head, your vision blurring, and the world becoming dim. But your mouth was only an ant's distance from the hare. You were your family's hope; giving up would mean failure. The weather was worsening. If it snowed again, your chances of finding and successfully catching new prey would be extremely slim. In the dead of winter, this hare might be your only and last chance for the day.

Thinking of this, your body seems to be infused with a mysterious power, supporting you to grit your teeth and pursue relentlessly.

I don't know if this wild rabbit was scared out of its wits or went insane, but as you chased it, it ended up running straight towards the lake.

It doesn't matter. Even if the fur gets wet, it doesn't matter. At worst, after catching that short-lived rabbit, I'll bite off its tendons, then gut it and torture it to death.

Unexpectedly, you and the hare did not fall into the icy lake with a "plop" as you had imagined. Instead, you slid and glided all the way to the middle of the lake, as if your feet were greased.

The lake had frozen over.