“Such a disappointment!” The old man stepped forward and wiped the saliva from the corner of the girl’s mouth with his hand.
“Wait a while before eating, it’s too hot!” Seeing the girl about to reach out, the old man scolded.
“Oh…” The girl, chastised by the old man, could only continue to wait anxiously.
“Grandpa, why didn’t we bring any provisions?” While waiting, the girl looked at the old man in confusion.
Hearing her question, the old man stared at the girl and said, “When you grow up, you might experience survival in the wilderness. At that time, if you don’t have provisions with you, what will you do? Do you want to wait to die? If you learn all these skills, even if you don’t have food or water at that time, you’ll be able to face any desperate situation with composure. Do you understand?”
“Grandpa, I understand now.” The girl nodded, seeming to comprehend.
“Go ahead and eat.” The old man handed a whole wild rabbit to the girl.
“Grandpa, you haven’t eaten all day either. Please eat, Grandpa,” the girl said.
“Eat quickly, I’m not hungry.” The old man seemed impatient.
Hearing that the old man wasn’t hungry, the girl stared at the rabbit, her mouth watering again. She sniffed the rabbit in front of her nose and then took a bite.
All the bones had been removed from the rabbit, making it easy for the girl to eat.
“Grandpa, I’m full.”
After a moment, the girl said to the old man.
“Hmm…”
The old man stared at the remaining half of the rabbit, silently picked it up, and ate every bit of it.
…
Late at night, inside the cave.
The snow outside the cave wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. The fire inside the cave was bright and warm, and the girl sat by the fire, not feeling cold.
Just as drowsiness overcame the girl, she heard faint cries for help outside the cave, accompanied by the howling of wolves.
Almost instantly, the girl was awakened.
“Grandpa, it sounds like someone’s out there.” Looking at the old man with closed eyes, the girl said cautiously.
However, the old man didn’t make any movements, as if he were sleeping.
The cries for help grew louder, and the girl finally mustered her courage and walked step by step toward the entrance of the cave.
“Help…”
Outside the cave, a young boy was panting heavily, his face full of fear, blood trickling from the corner of his eye, revealing a horrifying scar that seemed to be inflicted by sharp claws.
The boy lay on the ground, using his hands and feet to crawl backward rapidly.
However, being just a child, he couldn’t match the speed of the wild beasts.
In almost an instant, a snow-white wolf with gleaming fangs and a chilling light in its eyes, let out a fierce howl and pounced on the boy.
The boy’s face turned pale, and just before despair overtook him, he instinctively shouted for help.
Suddenly, a burst of light appeared, the intense heat melting the snow around it.
The girl held a flaming wooden stick in her hand, running towards the boy and swinging the firestick at the wolf.
At this moment, though nervous, the girl remembered her grandfather’s words — wolves were afraid of flames.
The boy stared at the girl in astonishment, this slightly older girl who had come seemingly out of nowhere.
She appeared fearless and safe, a mysterious presence.
The wolf fixed its gaze on the girl, its tail lowered, its eyes filled with cold light, its sharp fangs capable of tearing anything apart, causing the heart to tremble.
Now, the wolf growled softly at the girl.
“Grandpa, I’m scared…”
The girl, her face tense, looked toward the cave from time to time. In this moment, she regretted a bit, wondering why she hadn’t woken up her grandfather and had ventured out alone.