Time flies, and a year has quickly passed.
Thorfinn has grown much taller. Compared to before, his muscles have begun to bulge from long-term, consistent exercise. Perhaps his adherence to the "Three Hundreds" and the ten-kilometer run has worked, as Thorfinn looks much fitter and stronger than he used to.
Unfortunately, due to the Northern weather, he wears thick layers of fur all the time, so his physique is hard to see.
In the past year, Thorfinn has learned a lot from his father and mother. By the standard of an excellent hunter, the only thing he lacks now is experience.
The three kittens have also grown up. Although not yet adults, they are, after all, Shadowcats, and their ferocity is beginning to show, though they remain friendly to the family who raised them.
Over the year, Thorfinn got along well with the three kittens. The largest one, the slightly darker kitten from the beginning, was named "Alpha" by Thorfinn. The whiter one was named "Snow White" by Orrik. The last one, and the only girl of the three, was called "Sunny" by Darie.
The three Shadowcats integrated into the family. They were trained by Thorfinn and his family from a young age and gradually became more human-like. Alpha was the smartest among them and could already hunt small prey on its own. Once, it even caught a plump wild rabbit, which made Thorfinn happy for a long time.
Alpha has the best relationship with Thorfinn, Snow White is Orrik's shadow, and Sunny is the common darling of everyone. The Shadowcats often wandered and played outside together. In time, everyone in the area knew that Raynard's family kept three Shadowcats.
This news gradually spread.
Thorfinn also began to display his Skinchanging talent, finally succeeding in entering Alpha's body recently, thus becoming a Skingchanger. Thorfinn was unfamiliar with it during his first successful attempt, but Raynard has promised to help him find a teacher, so he believes he will receive efficient training soon.
Thorfinn has now been specifically authorized by his mother to hunt alone, a point that the clumsy Orrik resents, though he has to admit his own shortcomings. Orrik is a bit reckless; the last time he dared to try hunting a wild boar, he was chased until he had to climb a tree to save his life.
Although Orrik was saved by Raynard's timely intervention, who eventually seized the opportunity to kill the wild boar, this incident made his mother even more uneasy about him. That boar, though small in size, was unexpectedly fierce. After all, wild boars can sometimes be more dangerous to provoke than other carnivores.
In contrast, Thorfinn is more mature and steady. This year of self-discipline has created Thorfinn's strength. He has long mastered the stealth and tracking skills learned from Raynard, and he quickly picked up skills like setting traps and fishing.
How much can one accomplish in a year? Not too much, actually.
Thorfinn can only be said to have learned archery and some fighting techniques. When sparring with Raynard, his cheap old man never went all out, but even so, Thorfinn never gained the upper hand. In both technique and raw strength, he was miles behind.
Long-term consistent exercise did have an effect. Thorfinn's physical fitness was strengthened many times over. He could easily crush his former self, but even so, he was still just a novice who hadn't left the starting zone. An eleven-year-old child's body hasn't fully matured, so how much of a threat could he pose?
South of the Wall, noble sons learn how to fight from sword masters from a young age. They practice archery and must also study other subjects, but Thorfinn could only learn from his parents.
Thorfinn reflected for a long time and could only conclude that Raynard's path was not suitable for him. His father used a great hammer. Thorfinn, however, wanted to learn sword techniques, but in this world of ice and snow, there were few swords, so who could teach Thorfinn? Reluctantly, Thorfinn could only practice during his spare time, combining his memories from his past life.
Thorfinn is hunting now, with Alpha following behind him. The man and the Shadowcat stealthily slipped into the forest and disappeared. Alpha is a great help, and Thorfinn's collaboration with it is incredibly smooth. Even though it is still young, its predator instincts are already beginning to show.
Thorfinn is heading to a slightly distant place, but the animals at that destination are far more numerous than those on the mountain. There are many treasures beside the frozen Milkwater, where plump fish are often hidden among the rubble of the riverbank.
East of the river, over a low hill, is a forest with plenty of suitable prey: wild rabbits, foxes, deer... Of course, there are also wolf packs and snow bears in there, so Thorfinn has always avoided venturing deep into it.
Checking the fish traps he had set by the river, the harvest was good. Two large fish and a few smaller ones were trapped inside, still alive.
This fish trap was made by Thorfinn, referencing his memory of fishing gear. Although crude, it was very effective. Taking the two large fish and tossing a small one to Alpha, Thorfinn put bait back into the trap and sank it back into the river.
Alpha seemed to love fish. It eagerly swallowed and chewed one, not even neglecting the bits of red flesh scattered on the ground, licking them all up with its rough tongue. Watching Alpha happily make "wooing" sounds while eating the fish, Thorfinn affectionately rubbed its head.
Perhaps the love of fish is the nature of cats. Looking at it, aside from its larger size, wasn't it just a big cat?
After Alpha finished the small fish, it continued to follow Thorfinn to check the traps he had set earlier. The simple snares set in the forest only caught one rabbit, but there were no other gains. Thorfinn laughed out loud when he saw the struggling wild rabbit. "Ha-ha-ha! We can have an extra dish tonight."
Cleanly ending the rabbit's life, Thorfinn carried it along.
Just then, Alpha seemed to have spotted something. It darted out suddenly. Thorfinn watched it run quickly. Ahead of it was a snow-white wild rabbit. The rabbit was so well-hidden that Thorfinn hadn't noticed it, but it couldn't escape Alpha's eyes.
The rabbit made several sharp turns to try and shake off Alpha's pursuit, but Alpha's burst of speed was much faster than the rabbit's. Even though the rabbit luckily escaped a few lunges with sharp turns, it was finally caught in an unavoidable dodge and had its neck snapped by Alpha's bite.
A Shadowcat's bite force is also astonishing. Long ago, Thorfinn stopped daring to let Alpha play with his fingers. Although they might not be as fierce as Direwolves, they are still a top predator with a fearsome reputation in the far North.
Alpha proudly brought the rabbit over for a reward. Thorfinn rewarded it with a small fish. Thus, the trip yielded another rabbit.
Live off the land. Thorfinn planned to pick some edible mushrooms and then leave. At that moment, however, he heard human cries for help echoing from the forest in the distance. After a slight hesitation, Thorfinn still rushed toward the direction of the sound. Thorfinn's steps were swift; even carrying over twenty pounds of weight, he moved with ease. Alpha closely followed Thorfinn's pace.
The man and the Shadowcat hurried toward the source of the distress.
After running over a hundred meters, Thorfinn and Alpha found the place where the calls came from. Two people were surrounded by a wolf pack there. Fortunately, they had cleverly climbed up a tree. It was clearly an old tree that could support the weight of two people; otherwise, the two would have been eaten by the wolves.
The two people looked about the same age as Thorfinn. Thorfinn scrutinized them and saw they were a boy and a girl. However, even if they survived the wolf pack's siege, the harsh cold of the night would be their greatest enemy.
Thorfinn was now feeling very helpless. Even though he knew the two were in danger, he couldn't think of a way to rescue them right away. Thorfinn couldn't just turn and walk away. Even if Thorfinn wasn't a great philanthropist, standing by and doing nothing felt wrong.
But what can I do?
Raynard had said: If you encounter a wolf pack in the wild, stay calm and don't panic. Retreat slowly, look for cover, and absolutely do not make any sudden movements. Accelerate your escape only after reaching a safe distance. Usually, wolf packs won't stay in the same place. If you have a safe shelter, you just need to wait calmly.
It was clear that those two children lacked this experience. If they would just quiet down and wait, the wolf pack would eventually leave, but Thorfinn had no way to warn them that what they were doing could provoke the wolves.
Gods, make them quiet!
Don't they know how dangerous this forest is?
Wolf packs are not easy to deal with. They are cunning and understand teamwork very well. If it were one or two wolves, Thorfinn might attempt to deal with them. But Thorfinn counted at least a dozen wolves under the tree. This was frustrating. To provoke a pack of that size would be suicidal.
Thorfinn could only hide in the shadows with Alpha. Thorfinn couldn't help but sigh: If only Alpha were bigger, a grown-up Alpha could certainly deter the wolf pack. Alpha's intimidating presence was still small, so Thorfinn would not let it take risks.
Perhaps Thorfinn's prayer worked; the two stopped shouting and became quiet for a rare moment. Thorfinn sighed in relief at the sight. He decided to wait here until the wolf pack left, and then lead them out of the forest. He didn't ask for their gratitude, only for a clear conscience.
Finally, after a patient standoff, the wolf pack began to get restless. After a while longer, they started leaving one by one, and the crisis began to subside...