Kelly felt a surge of joy in her heart; she knew the opportunity had arrived!
Instead of trying to counteract the incredible weight of the seal skin in the water with brute force, she positioned one end of the dried wood like a massive probe, extending it into the icy seawater, sliding it under the edge of the ice layer and beneath the seal skin.
Then, she executed a deft lever maneuver, using the part of the wood on the ice as a fulcrum, and slowly applied her body weight to the other end of the wood.
This action caused the front end of the submerged stick to start tipping upwards. The upward force wasn't enough to lift the entire skin, but it was sufficient to push the edge of the seal skin out of the water, bit by bit.
"Come on... a little more..." she murmured softly, her eyes fixed intently on the surface of the water.
When a small piece of fur's edge finally emerged from the water and rested on the solid ice, the first step was a success!
