The young man walked his own path step by step, yet he continued walking steadily without even stopping to catch his breath.
Seeing his older brother's persistence, the boy gritted his teeth and continued to step through the snow pits to keep up.
Besides these three people, there were more than a dozen others climbing the snow-covered mountain. They followed the snow pits left by the three in front, forming a tacit team.
Perhaps this is how those who came before paved the way, and those who came after reaped the benefits.
The young man who had been leading the way had been silent the whole way and had never stopped, but now he had stopped.
"Ah, Ah Mo, why did you stop?" The young man looked at the young man's back as he stopped, somewhat puzzled but not daring to say much.
He and Amo were the same age and both attended primary school in the village, but their personalities were very different. They didn't have much contact when they were young and remained familiar but not close fellow villagers.
"Rest," the young man named Amo replied, then walked to the side without hesitation.
The young man said nothing more, grabbed his younger brother, and followed.
They need to rest. If they don't, they'll really be buried alive in the snowy night!
Amo seemed to be able to see the scene in the night clearly. Every step he took was still steady, without the disheveled and cautious look of the two brothers behind him.
Soon, the three of them arrived at a sunken earthen wall. The soil was fresh and there wasn't much snow, so it seemed that it had just been dug up by some kind of animal that day.
Amo skillfully groped through the snow and quickly gathered a large handful of branches.
The young man skillfully put down his backpack, took out the food, and prepared to share it. No one knew what Amo did, but he touched the pile of branches he had built, lit a lighter, and a fire actually started. The light of the fire instantly dispelled the darkness and seemed to take away the cold as well.
The brothers' eyes lit up immediately. They couldn't help but lean closer to the tiny flame, revealing silly smiles.
Amer didn't say anything. He hugged the cold branch, which was emitting wisps of white steam—water vapor!
Unfortunately, the two brothers were so focused on the flame that they completely failed to notice this unusual occurrence.
The moisture quickly dissolved into the surrounding white mist, and the branches in Amo's arms also became much drier. Although not completely dry, they were still able to burn.
The two brothers were not surprised to see the damp smoke; it was already a miracle that the tree branches, which had been frozen for who knows how long in the wild, could still be lit.
The three sat with their backs to the wall pit. The fire gradually started to burn, but it wasn't very strong. They didn't dare to burn it too much for warmth, as they had limited branches.
The fire started burning, but Amer ignored it and leaned against the pit, closing his eyes, clearly intending to go to sleep.
But the young man thought for a moment, then instructed the boy to sit by the fire and watch it, before getting up to find some branches under the snow.
The branches were covered in ice and snow. The young man carefully placed the branches near the fire, keeping them at a distance that would dry them without burning them.
Humans always seem to unleash their full potential in times of difficulty. Rather than sleep, the two brothers tacitly chose not to sleep and instead kept the fire burning.
They clearly felt the temperature drop. Without the fire, they would not be able to withstand the cold tonight. Not sleeping all night would not be a big deal, but without the fire, they would definitely freeze to death!
The young man and the boy took turns gathering nearby branches to keep the fire burning; they needed that warmth.
On this cold, snowy night, not only humans need warmth, but wild animals do too...
A dark figure suddenly leaped out from behind the snowdrift and headed straight for the boy.
The young man went to gather branches, and when he heard the noise and looked over, he could only see a wild beast pouncing on his younger brother.
"Brother!!!"
"Whoosh!" The branch in the young man's arms had just fallen with a clatter, and he had just taken a step when he saw the beast that had attacked him suddenly fly backward.
The snow in the distance was smashed into a crater by the beast's body, and the snow splattered up with a whoosh.
"Brother, how are you?" The young man didn't have time to think and pulled up his younger brother who was lying on the ground to check on him anxiously.
The boy was lucky; although he was scratched by the claw, only his clothes were torn, and he wasn't injured. It was fortunate he was bundled up thickly, and that Amo acted quickly enough.
The fox, kicked into the snowdrift, squeaked and then ran into the darkness without looking back.
"Amo, thank you! Thank you so much!" The young man thanked Amo with lingering fear. He would never forgive himself if something had happened to his brother!
Amer nodded, sat back down, and closed his eyes to rest.
In novels, the animals that appear are either there to give you experience points or can be kept as pets. But in reality, in such an environment, no one would actually treat wild animals as pets.
If that fox had been seriously injured, these three would definitely not have let go of that piece of meat.
Keeping someone as a pet? That's something only someone who's had too much time and energy to do. Right now, humans don't have the means or the leisure to do so.
The fire's light was so conspicuous in the darkness that the humans who came up from the snow pits behind them rushed over as if they had encountered saviors. Gradually, the fire grew bigger and bigger, and more and more people joined in.
Half of the people climbing the mountain gathered around the campfire, but no one spoke. They had been filled with excitement and anticipation when they stepped into the snow-capped mountain, but that enthusiasm had long since cooled under the cold wind and snow. If it weren't for the snow pits along the way, many of them would have turned back halfway.
Passing animals would naturally take a look, but most of them didn't stop. Outnumbered, animals have always been bullies who prey on the weak.
The elderly couple took an enamel cup, scooped up a handful of snow, and lit it on the fire. They didn't boil it; they just waited for the snow to melt completely and steam to rise before drinking it.
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