King of the Wilderness

Chapter 388: Chapter 227: The Polar Bear’s Ice Fishing

After confirming that this was edible and extremely delicious, it no longer hesitated at all. With a swift roll of its tongue, it swept the piece of crackling right into its mouth!

Then, a crisp and delightful sound echoed within the shelter.

”Crunch—crack—crunch—”

December used its still growing but already strong milk teeth to gleefully chew this first bite of real solid food. The crispy crackling shattered between its teeth, producing a ”crunchy” sound.

With every chew, more concentrated grease and meat juice burst from the cracks in the crackling, making it so happy that its eyes narrowed into slits.

This was its first experience of the pleasure of ”chewing,” a feeling completely different from drinking milk, requiring the teeth to conquer and crush food, the most primal satisfaction of a carnivore.

It was so engrossed in eating that even when Lin Yu’an reached out to touch its head, it nudged his hand away protectively with its tiny noggin.

After eating, it seemed unsatisfied, immediately thrusting its little head toward Lin Yu’an, sniffing his fingers and the palm of his hand with its moist nose.

It even extended its tongue, licking Lin Yu’an’s fingers clean. Its affectionate and greedy demeanor almost melted Lin Yu’an’s heart.

Looking at its unsatisfied yet cute demeanor, Lin Yu’an smiled with satisfaction.

He promptly recorded this important event of complementary food addition in the electronic log: ”2:30 pm, first attempt at adding pure solid food. Food: unsalted porcupine cracklings, about 4-6 grams, fed directly. The cub’s chewing ability is good, acceptance is very high, showing a strong desire to eat. Need to closely observe its digestion and excretion situation later.”

After finishing a full day of ”production” and ”teaching” work, Lin Yu’an glanced outside. The afternoon sun was just right, the world after the snow was quiet and peaceful, an ideal time for outdoor activities.

Without the burden of fat and food, his mindset became more relaxed than ever before.

He no longer needed to hunt every time with a survival objective, finally having some ”leisure” to enjoy the wilderness itself.

”Let’s go, little one.”

He said to December, who had mostly digested and was starting to get energetic again, ”Staying indoors all the time can get boring, let’s go fishing.” He got himself dressed properly and then took out his ice fishing gear from a corner.

This time, he didn’t carry December, but opened the door for it to walk out by itself. December didn’t mind at all whether Lin Yu’an carried it, happily following behind him.

They arrived at the ice fishing location, where Lin Yu’an first walked to the ice hole where he had previously set a fishing net, intending to check today’s harvest along the way.

He used the end of the spear shaft to break the thin ice newly formed on the ice hole’s surface and then began to slowly retrieve the net.

”Hmm, it seems that without blood bait, the effect is indeed much worse.” He commented to the camera as he retrieved the net.

The fishing net felt light in his hand, and finally, he only pulled three medium-sized red spot salmon from the water.

”Still, better than nothing.” He wasn’t disappointed, his face carrying a calm smile as he skillfully processed the three fish on the spot.

With the hunting knife, he precisely slit open the fish bellies, removing the innards carefully avoiding the gallbladder. Then he threw all these fresh fish guts into the dark ice hole.

”Use the smell of these innards to create a scent center underwater, hoping to attract the surrounding fish.”

After processing the innards, looking at the three clean red spot salmon in his hand, a new idea suddenly crossed his mind.

”Since today’s about enjoying life, just fishing seems too monotonous.” He said with a smile, ”Let’s have an ice afternoon tea. These three fish can just serve as my snack.”

He strung the processed fish using a rope and temporarily placed them aside. Then, he led December to the ”ice fishing wooden shed” he had built not far away.

He didn’t rush to start fishing but first took out the tin bucket he used for carrying charcoal, placed it stably, and lit a small bonfire inside the bucket.

Soon, a handful of warm, flickering flames rose within the tin bucket, not only bringing light and heat but also warming the inside of the wooden shed entirely.

”Alright, you play here, don’t run around.” He advised December and then sat down in front of the ice hole himself.

Deftly, he hooked fresh porcupine innard bait onto the fish hook and slowly lowered the fishing line into the bottomless ice hole.

After settling everything, he picked up the three red spot salmon, using three sharpened wet wooden sticks to skewer them one by one through the fish mouths.

Then he inserted the other end of the sticks into the snow around the tin bucket, letting the fish bodies lean at an angle close to the flames, utilizing radiant heat for broiling.

December was filled with curiosity about the dark, occasionally chilly ice hole, but soon its attention was attracted by another tempting aroma.

As the temperature rose, the fat beneath the fish skin began to melt, sizzling, with golden fish oil dropping onto the snow beneath, instantly melting small pits.

A rich aroma, mixing roasted fish scent and wood smoke, began to permeate throughout the small wooden shed.

Thus, a tranquil yet lively scene emerged on the Ice Lake.

A fully armed man sat leisurely before the ice hole, holding a simple fishing rod in one hand, occasionally rotating several skewers of grilled fish with the other hand.

At his feet, a snow-white polar bear cub lay on the warm fur, sometimes curiously watching the ice hole, other times gulping with desire at the grilled fish aroma, making longing ”hum” sounds from its throat.

The small tin bucket bonfire added a touch of extreme warmth and smoke to the cold world, with their shadows and the working igloo adding more lively atmosphere.

The world was so quiet, only the occasional cracking sounds from deep within the ice, like whale moans, and the sizzling sound of grilling fish broke the silence.

However, today the fish seemed not to be cooperative.

Lin Yu’an patiently waited for nearly an hour, apart from a few tentative nibbles from small fish, his fishing rod did not transmit any weighted movement.

He was not in a hurry; instead, he picked up an already grilled to golden and crispy red spot salmon, blew on it, tore off a piece of charred yet tender fish meat, enjoying this moment of idleness.

But the weather began to change.

The sun gradually slanted westward, the light no longer so warm, and the wind over the lake started to pick up, whipping the loose snow on the ground against their faces, bringing a piercing cold.

Lin Yu’an glanced at December, who was curled up in a ball trying to keep warm on a snow pile, understanding that today’s outdoor activities should come to an end.

”Alright, it seems today isn’t a fishing day.”

”However, we’ve harvested a delicious afternoon tea, which isn’t a loss.”

He wrapped the remaining two grilled fish in birch bark, then carefully extinguished the bonfire in the tin bucket.

Finally, he held the somewhat shivering December, wrapping it closely in his embrace.

”Let’s go home, little one. There’s a warm fireplace and a more sumptuous dinner waiting at home.”

He faced the rising cold wind, carrying the day’s harvest and fatigue, contentedly returning to the shelter.

This day, though devoid of thrilling adventures, was filled with a sense of tangible living.

Thus, one human and one bear effortlessly passed ten days, bringing the timeline to forty-four days when Mark called...