​Ham-fisted​

Gradually, Liu Zhenhan began perceiving faint thermal fluctuations emanating from the vulpine girl's nasal passages - an auspicious indication of returning vitality. Provided her corporeal furnace could retain this burgeoning warmth, prospects for full recuperation appeared increasingly plausible.

With meticulous care, Liu adjusted the wolf pelt that had slipped from her alabaster shoulders, ensuring complete coverage against residual chill. Grasping her porcelain-pale forearm between calloused palms, he initiated vigorous friction therapy, methodically generating epidermal warmth through sustained manual abrasion. Slowly but perceptibly, circulatory restoration manifested through incremental temperature elevation in her extremities.

Now afforded momentary respite from crisis management, Liu found himself transfixed by the ethereal countenance resting against his biceps. The unconscious beauty's facial architecture presented extraordinary refinement - an aquiline nasal bridge descending toward delicately chiseled features, framed by crimson tresses whose fiery hues accentuated the luminous ivory complexion beneath. Her closed eyelids hinted at ocular proportions suggesting almond-shaped apertures, while parted lips maintained perfect rosebud curvature despite dehydration.

This physiognomy evoked vague recollections from Liu's pre-military agrarian days - specifically, the notorious village temptress whose mere presence could halt plowshares mid-furrow. Yet where that woman's allure carried tawdry implications, this creature's appeal transcended base carnality. Even in comatose vulnerability, her visage exuded primordial magnetism, a genetic lottery winner in the evolutionary arms race of pheromonic warfare.

Liu's limited poetic vocabulary struggled to articulate the phenomenon: "Soul-entrapping enchantment" became his mental shorthand. The combination of vulpine facial angles, luxuriant lashes brushing marble cheeks, and bodily proportions adhering to divine geometry conspired to bypass rational defenses. Though her eyes remained shuttered, Liu imagined them as liquid pools capable of voiceless eloquence - an assumption that intensified his protective embrace until interrupted by unexpected movement.

Beneath layered garments, subtle vibrations signaled Guoguo's emergence. The creature's fuzzy cranium breached clothing folds, oversized ears oscillating with mischievous pride. "Damn rascal! Nearly stopped my heart!" Liu mock-glowered, performing grotesque facial contortions that Guoguo mirrored with pink-tongued insolence. This comedic interlude effectively shattered Liu's hormonal trance, restoring complexion to baseline pigmentation through embarrassed self-awareness.

Liberated from erotic fixation, Liu's cognitive gears shifted towards analytical inquiry. The cumulative absurdities demanded logical reconciliation: His vivid battlefield demise memories conflicting with current reality's surreal parameters - deserted archipelago ecosystems hosting fantastical beasts and now this hybrid humanoid. Each sunrise brought fresh ontological challenges that threatened cranial combustion.

Dawn's progression painted seascape transformations - solar orb breaching marine horizons with deliberate majesty, prismatic droplets clinging to thorny shrubs, ethereal mists crowning distant hillocks. The scene's transient beauty amplified Liu's dissociation, as though existing within some elaborate dreamscape.

Olfactory notes of jasmine-like fragrance from his charge's epidermal secretions triggered nostalgia for homeland gardenias. Confirming stabilized body temperature, Liu transitioned the patient to improvised bedding - wolf pelt arranged as semi-insulating mattress/blanket hybrid. The vulpine girl's facial micro-expressions intensified - subtle brow contractions and labial tremors suggesting returning consciousness.

Emergency hydration attempts proved problematic. Coconut water repeatedly spilled across fur bedding despite Liu's careful pouring. Palpation revealed dangerous fever spikes, prompting extreme measures: Commanding Guoguo to employ its cryogenic breath weapon on coconut flesh, instantly flash-freezing the contents. The energy expenditure visibly drained the creature, its normally vibrant golden fur dulling to mustard hues.

Improvised cryotherapy commenced using sock-wrapped ice chunks applied to the feverish forehead. Liu then resorted to direct oral fluid transfer - a technique yielding successful hydration despite violent coughing fits. "Progress! Genuine progress!" he exhaled in relief, oblivious to Guoguo's theatrical pantomime of thirst until the creature's operatic demands required appeasement through identical mouth-to-mouth liquid administration.

Domestic reconstruction priorities emerged: Weatherproof shelter modification, thermal nutrition preparation, wound management (his lacerated forearm now oozing through makeshift bandages). Liu's arboreal demolition spree yielded multiple tamarisk trunks, their resinous cores promising sustained combustion. The timber's flammability astonished him - sap-rich heartwood crackling like festival fireworks when ignited.

Culinary efforts produced simmering lagomorph stew, its aroma attracting Guoguo's dangerous kitchen investigations. "Scald yourself, you meddlesome furball!" Liu barked during preventive interception, adrenaline surging as bloodstains bloomed through his improvised dressing. The injury's origin - an aquatic projectile from supposedly docile island fauna - reinforced his existential frustration.

Patient monitoring revealed encouraging developments: Subsiding fever, returning ocular mobility. Liu's subsequent bedding adjustment near residual hearth warmth accidentally precipitated eye contact - a moment of paralyzing awkwardness where clinical detachment collided with reawakened libido. His features flushed furnace-red, hands fumbling with covers while neural circuits short-circuited between medical duty and primal attraction.