American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Suwei opened his eyes.

Before dawn, the tent was bathed in a dim orange light.

The chill was seeping upwards from the moisture-proof mat beneath me.

The blanket wrapped around him had long been warmed by his body heat, but he could still feel waves of coldness constantly invading his body from his back and the joints of his limbs.

He didn't actually sleep well that night.

Even with blankets and thick clothes, the sub-zero temperatures in the wilderness still caused him to wake up from time to time from the cold.

Su Wei turned his head to the side.

In the dim light, he could only see the blurry outline of Emily curled up in her sleeping bag, fast asleep.

She had zipped the sleeping bag all the way up, with only a small tuft of blonde hair peeking out from the shadows.

Suddenly, I felt a slight, furry sensation on my chest.

Suwei lowered his head and met a pair of blue eyes that shone in the darkness.

The marshmallow had somehow defected from Emily's side and was now curled up on his chest, using him as a human heater.

When the little guy saw that he was awake, he gently swept his tail in the small space and made a satisfied purring sound in his throat.

Suwei stretched out a finger and scratched the little fox's chin.

The sleeping bag next to me stirred.

Emily woke up too. She groggily sat up, her sleeping bag slipping off her shoulders.

"morning."

Her voice still had the hoarseness characteristic of someone who has just woken up.

The next second, her gaze froze.

The cotton candy, nestled comfortably against Su Wei's chest, instantly snapped her out of her daze.

Emily scooped the small white thing into her arms.

"You little traitor."

She buried her face in the marshmallow's soft fur and rubbed against it vigorously.

"I fed you jerky last night."

The marshmallow whimpered in dissatisfaction as she kneaded it, but its paws honestly found a more comfortable spot in her arms.

Suwei sat up and stretched his stiff neck and shoulders.

The slight cracking sound from the joints was particularly clear in the quiet tent.

"How's your foot?" he asked, already starting to pack his things, as if asking casually.

Upon hearing this, Emily carefully moved her injured left ankle, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"It still hurts, but the swelling seems to have gone down a bit, and it's not as uncomfortable as yesterday."

"That's good."

Su Wei nodded without asking any further questions.

He unzipped the tent, and a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in.

Emily instinctively shrank her neck and wrapped her sleeping bag tighter.

The sky was gray and not yet fully bright; the outlines of the distant mountains and forests were blurred, and only a pile of still-warm ashes remained of last night's campfire.

Su Wei got dressed and crawled out of the tent.

Emily stared at his retreating figure, her gaze frozen.

He has been wearing that outfit to sleep since yesterday.

He was wearing his spare fleece jacket and pants, which were both dry and warm.

He slept in his only sleeping bag.

And what about him?

He wrapped himself in that thin blanket and lay on the cold, moisture-proof mat all night.

Even if you have your own set of clothes that are half-dried, help cover them up.

However, even at such low temperatures, it still cannot keep you warm very well.

Thinking of this.

Emily felt a tightness in her chest and was momentarily unable to breathe.

She unconsciously tightened her grip on the cotton candy.

Outside the tent, Su Wei's movements did not stop at all.

He skillfully rekindled the fire with dried birch bark and tinder, and the flames rose, their orange-yellow light dispelling the surrounding chill.

He first warmed himself by the fire, letting the chill dissipate from his body and warming himself up.

Next, he placed the frying pan on the fire, threw in a large chunk of snow, and started boiling water.

Chop wood, boil water, and cut a slice of venison from the sled.

The series of movements were fluid and rapid.

Emily sat quietly at the tent entrance, watching him busily working in the morning light.

This man has completely adapted to this wilderness.

Or rather, this wilderness has shaped him into what he is today.

Soon, the sizzling sound of oil sizzling and the irresistible aroma of meat filled the pan.

Suwei fried the venison, brewed some instant coffee with hot water, and carried it back to the tent.

He brought the coffee sticks on purpose, thinking that he would be drowsy during the day.

Now it comes in handy.

"Have something to eat." He handed Emily a serving of venison and a thermos of coffee. "Eat and then we'll leave. The weather forecast says it's going to snow again at noon."

Emily took the scalding hot cup, held it in her hands, and felt its burning warmth.

"Thank you for last night," she whispered.

Su Wei paused for a moment, glanced at her, and didn't reply, only saying, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

His answer was simple and pragmatic, causing Emily to swallow back the words she was about to say.

Emily said nothing more and quietly ate her breakfast.

The pan-fried venison was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Although the coffee was inexpensive, the scalding liquid slid into my stomach on this cold morning, bringing immense satisfaction.

After finishing breakfast, Suwei immediately began tidying up the camp.

Emily wanted to help, but due to her limited mobility, she could only sit on the sleeping mat and watch him pack everything by himself.

The tent was quickly disassembled and rolled into a sturdy cylinder.

He neatly organized the sleeping bags, cooking utensils, and other miscellaneous supplies, categorizing them and securing them securely with nylon rope.

Finally, Suwei walked over to the snowmobile.

Instead of starting the engine, he bent down and checked the area that had been repaired the day before.

The steering handle that he forcibly straightened.

The lines have been reconnected.

There's also the fuel tank connector.

He inspected it carefully, running his fingers over the cold metal one by one to make sure that every component was secure and reliable.

Here, even the slightest oversight can have fatal consequences.

Especially behind him, there were not only spoils worth nearly ten thousand US dollars, but also someone he needed to protect.

He can't afford to lose.

After confirming that everything was correct, he straightened up and walked to Emily.

"I'll carry you across," he said casually, as if it were the least he could do.

Emily's face flushed, but she nodded nonetheless.

Su Wei knelt down in front of her.

Emily lay on his broad, hard back, all solid muscles, and even through his thick clothes, she could still feel his burning heat.

Su Wei easily carried her on his back and walked steadily toward the snowmobile, carefully placing her on the back seat.

Throughout the entire process, he made a point of avoiding her injured foot.

"Hold on tight."

He secured the final packed tent and sleeping bag to the sled, then used nylon ropes to attach the wooden sled to the back of the snowmobile, which was laden with ferocious prey.

"Marshmallow," he called out.

The little fox immediately jumped off Emily's arms and ran to Sue's feet, looking up at him.

Sue picked it up and put it back in Emily's arms.

"Keep an eye on it and don't let it run around."

Emily hugged the warm little one in her arms tightly and nodded.

Then he reached out and unconsciously grabbed Su Wei's clothes at the waist.

Suwei mounted the snowmobile, put on his goggles, and glanced back at Emily one last time.

"Hurry up."

He turned the key.

The engine let out a muffled cough, followed by a second one.

Emily's heart jumped into her throat.

The next second, accompanied by a deafening roar, the snowmobile's engine was finally awakened.

A tremendous roar shattered the morning tranquility, echoing wildly through the empty snow-covered forest.

The machine vibrated violently underfoot, and a strong smell of gasoline and engine oil filled the air.

Su Wei did not hesitate for a moment.

He suddenly twisted the accelerator.

The snowmobile's tracks spun rapidly, carving a deep hole in the snow. The front of the vehicle jerked upwards and then surged forward!

"what!"

Emily gasped, her body jerking backward from the force of the impact, and instinctively clung tightly to Su Wei's waist.

The snowmobile, dragging its heavy sled, plowed a deep track in the snow and roared off down the mountain.

The wind whistled in my ears.

The cold snow was whipped up by the conveyor belt and splattered all over my face.

Emily buried her face in Suwei's broad back, her vision filled only with the rapidly receding spruce trees on either side and a blanket of white snow.

The journey home has begun.