When the first gray-white rays of dawn shone into the cave entrance, the long and tense night had finally passed.
The campfire had extinguished, leaving only a pile of still warm ashes.
"It's daylight."
Old George was the first to stand up, walked to the entrance, and cautiously observed for a while, confirming there was no sign of the wolves returning.
"Alright, no more resting, it's time to get to work, everyone."
He turned around and said to Stan and Lin Yu'an, both of whom barely closed their eyes all night: "We need to handle them properly, then head back."
Stan yawned, stretched hard, and his bones made a series of cracking sounds.
"Honestly, I'd rather fight them again than do this work now. This stuff's meat can't even be eaten, it's a waste of effort."
Despite the complaints, he deftly took out the tools from his backpack.
Old George calmly said, "The law allows us not to take wolf meat, because they're predators, and the meat risks being infected with trichinosis."
