Transmigrated into Hoh Xil - Chapter 3

December was drawing near.

Hoh Xil’s natural environment was becoming harsher by the day.

Xia’er was already gravely wounded, and he had gone without food for far too long. After that exertion, his reopened wound gave off an ominous smell.

Hold on, Xia’er. You have to hold on!

I yelped in panic.

To calm me, Xia’er licked my muzzle.

The touch was damp. I settled down, rubbed my head against his neck, then crouched so he could lean his whole body against mine. I hoped it might ease his pain.

Even a little would be enough.

Above us—

the last flocks of bar-headed geese, known as the highest-flying birds in the world, departed from Taiyang Lake. In the days ahead, they would cross the roof of the world—the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas—on their way to wintering grounds in South Asia.

In subalpine meadows more than two thousand meters above sea level, Tibetan foxes crept into rock fissures sheltered from the wind. By reducing their activity and conserving heat, they endured Hoh Xil’s long and brutal winter.

Beneath seasonal permafrost several meters deep, Himalayan marmots had already begun a six-month hibernation back in mid-October.

Even a species of armored beetle unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had hidden among the tangled roots of plants.

Everything foretold the same thing—winter was coming!

The situation was urgent.

Despite being a wild wolf, I had no experience surviving in the wild.

And this was Hoh Xil, known as the world’s “Third Pole” after Antarctica and the Arctic.

It had another name as well—

the forbidden zone of life!

That alone showed how merciless its environment could be.

Especially during a winter that lasted half the year.

If anything happened to Xia’er, I could already foresee my most likely fate: starving to death in the wilderness.

As for rejoining the pack…

I had never even considered it.

My poor hunting skills and relatively small body had placed me at the very bottom of the pack. I was, without question, an omega wolf.

Whenever the pack brought down prey, I had no right to eat.

If Xia’er had not protected me and taken pity on me, sharing his limited but life-sustaining food, I would probably have starved on this barren land long ago.

Staying with Xia’er was my only choice.

My task was to draw on the knowledge and experience I had accumulated as a human, do everything I could to care for him, and help him recover as quickly as possible.

My immediate problem was that Tashi might be badly hurt. He had not moved for ages and could do nothing but pant.

Useless mutt!

I was so hungry…

So hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry…

There wasn’t enough time to beg for food along the highway.

Perhaps… before the blizzard arrived, I should try hunting first?

With absolutely no hunting experience, I had no choice but to take my first step into this cruel struggle for survival.

Especially since Xia’er needed energy if he was going to recover any sooner.

In only a few days, he had wasted away before my eyes.

The once-powerful, proud wolf king now had a dull coat and a listless air.

Perhaps he was too hungry to bear it. When he thought I wasn’t looking, he secretly took two bites of turf.

Crunch. Crunch.

When he sensed me watching, Xia’er stopped and went rigid. Beneath the fur covering his face, I somehow caught a flash of embarrassment. Hesitantly, he licked my muzzle and asked with his eyes—

*What’s wrong?*

I did not answer.

He looked deeply worried and tried to stand so he could examine me.

When he was the one who needed care most…

My heart softened.

Without hesitation, I rose.

I had to hunt. I absolutely had to hunt!

This time, I set my sights on plateau pikas!