As he entered the forest's edge, the light was immediately filtered dim by the tall spruce trees.
The air was filled with a unique scent of pine needles mixed with ice and snow.
The snow underfoot, too, was starkly different from the hard crust snow in the open areas by the river. Sheltered by the tree canopy, the snow here was fluffier and deeper.
He had to rely on snowshoes to avoid sinking with each step and wasting unnecessary energy.
Lin Yu'an did not blindly wander through the forest like a headless fly. His hunting plan began with deciphering this "pale book" of the snow.
He first arrived at a previously marked, lower-lying depression, where dense willow and birch shrubs grew, an area Snowshoe Rabbits might come to forage.
Squatting down, he gently brushed away the surface snow with his gloved fingers, starting a carpet-like search. His eyes carefully searched the snow for any traces of life.
Soon, he found a string of footprints, but Lin Yu'an's brow furrowed slightly.
