Chapter 144 Snow Leopard (Part 2)
“Meow——!”
After searching for three whole days without finding even a single piece of wool, Yu Yiyun felt as if the sky was falling.
This mountain!
after all! !
Are there any sheep!!!
However, the little snow leopard was so angry that it could only make soft bird-clawing sounds.
"Meow meow meow!"
[Impotent Rage.jpg]
After trekking for three consecutive days and patrolling the mountains again without any results, Leopard seemed to have lost all his strength and means, and lay dejectedly on the edge of the cliff.
"Meow..." Sheep, where are you meowing...
The pig, who couldn't find any prey at all, turned over slowly, looked up at the sky and fell into deep thought.
Sure enough, the simpler the task sounds, the harder it is to complete.
Unlike all the worlds it has experienced before, the snow leopard not only lives in a harsh environment, but also has scarce prey.
Moreover, their prey is not distributed horizontally, but vertically along the ridges, which greatly increases the difficulty of hunting.
Blue sheep mainly feed on shrub branches, lichens and mosses in high mountain desert areas, and often appear in groups.
In short, it's either nothing or a lot.
There are almost no traces of blue sheep activities in Ram's territory.
It is reasonable to guess that there is no blue sheep community in this area. No wonder Mommy is so thin because of hunger.
The fact that a plant can take root in high mountains and deserts means it has extremely strong survival abilities.
Despite their tenacious vitality, alpine plants still need sunlight for photosynthesis.
The habitat chosen by Ram is in the shade and is shielded by the surrounding mountains. Most of the day, the sun does not shine, and the entire mountain is bare.
After figuring out the reason, Yu Yiyun stood up and decided to go over the mountain and try his luck on the sunny side where the environment was relatively suitable.
The little snow leopard took a step forward, dragging its tired and hungry body, and grunting over the mountain that was 6,000 meters above sea level.
If humans reached this altitude, they would be threatened by severe cold and lack of oxygen and would not be able to move freely.
“Meow, meow, meow!”
While the snow leopard version of Zhu Mi was climbing over the mountain, he still had the energy to curse and complain about the sesame dumplings in his previous life.
Xiongxiong lives such a good life that he is not willing to eat meat even when it is right in front of him.
Now, it’s retribution!
The hungry pig was climbing over the mountain pitifully when he suddenly smelled the scent of a wild beast.
"Meow?" Are there any sheep here?!
Leopard's amber eyes lit up every minute, and he ran over happily like a rabbit, jumping and skipping.
As he approached the rock where the smell remained, Zhumi's eyes instantly turned dead.
Oh, the same smell.
If you smell it carefully, it should be a female leopard with cubs.
The little snow leopard picked up its long tail again and chewed it to satisfy its craving.
He turned around dejectedly and returned silently along the same path.
Solitary snow leopards, like all wild animals, leave scent marks to warn their peers not to cross the border.
Although Yu Yiyun has never had any sense of boundaries, he often ignores the signs and trespasses into the territories of the big guys, shamelessly looking for the aunts and tyrants to eat.
After repeated practice and experimentation, Zhumi's skill in eating for free has been perfected, with a success rate approaching 100%.
With her ability to act cute and coquettish, she can easily control the queen of all beasts.
But snow leopards are different.
Snow leopards face extremely harsh living conditions, and whether they can find prey depends entirely on luck. Even if they do find prey, they must risk their lives to successfully capture blue sheep.
In documentaries, snow leopards are often seen chasing blue sheep and falling from high cliffs.
Yu Yiyun judged by the smell that the snow leopard aunt next door was in the breastfeeding period, which meant that at least two cubs in the family had not yet been officially weaned.
In order to provide milk for her cubs, the mother snow leopard has to hunt desperately, and if there is not enough food, she cannot raise another leopard.
If Yu Yijun took away her food, the snow leopard mother would have a greater burden and her own cubs would have a lower chance of survival.
It doesn’t matter, I’m already a one-year-old leopard!
How can you snatch food from a kid leopard?
The upright little man licked the tail in his mouth and endured the hunger as he walked away from the territory of his aunt next door.
After walking only a few dozen meters, Yu Yijun heard the crisp sound of clasps coming from below.
"Chiu..."
“Chirp…”
Wait, where's the bird?
The sound of the clamp is unique to snow leopard cubs, and it sounds miserable and helpless.
The pig grabbed the rock and rushed down a few steps.
Looking around, I saw a two or three-month-old leopard cub stuck in a crevice in the rock, unable to get up or down, and chirping anxiously.
Unlike leopards and blue sheep, leopards must learn to gradually adapt to the alpine environment.
The three-month-old leopard is still young and has just learned to run and jump. Climbing alone in the mountains is very dangerous, and he will fall down if he slips a little.
Yu Yiyun saw the little leopard trembling with fear, huddled on a palm-sized protruding rock. It stretched out its claws tentatively several times and then retracted them, and its cries became weaker and weaker.
Below the rock is a cliff, not too high.
The snow leopard has thick skin and flesh, so it may be fine if it falls down.
The little snow leopard is only three months old and is in the most critical stage of growth. If he falls, he will be injured. But he may be forever separated from other leopards of the same age and become the first weakling to be eliminated by nature.
“Chiu!”
The snow leopard cub cried for a long time, but its mother didn't come.
He was cold, hungry and scared, and finally he mustered up the courage to jump.
“…Chuck?!”
As soon as its front paws stepped off the rock, the little snow leopard caught a glimpse of a silver-gray figure flying down from above and grabbing its neck like a god.
It skimmed over the cliff and landed steadily in the middle of the relatively flat rock below.
"Meow!" What's wrong with you little jerk!
"Meow meow meow!" Didn't your mommy tell you that baby leopards should stay at home? !
I saw a strange snow leopard falling from the sky, with a fierce and stern face, meowing crisply at me.
The snow leopard cub was curious, so it stretched out its paw and gently pawed him.
"Chirp?" Who are you?
In the three months since birth, the snow leopard cub has never seen any other snow leopard cub other than its mother.
Since piglets are not much bigger than piglets, their body odor is very light, and their calls are gentle and harmless.
The cub felt no aggression and had no intention of avoiding the male snow leopard. Instead, it boldly approached him.
"Chiu." Brother.
"Chirp!" My mommy is missing!
The poor cub waited for his mommy for more than two days before he mustered up the courage to step out of the cave to look for his mommy.
He searched for a long time but didn't find his mommy. Instead, he got stuck in a rock peak and almost lost his life.
When the cub met the "big leopard" who carried him down with it, he finally found someone to rely on. He was desperate and tried every possible means to find a mother for him.
"Meow." Yeah, it's good that you know you're wrong.
The piglet couldn't understand the kid's cat language, so he naturally thought that he had learned his lesson and would not dare to leave the cave casually again.
Three-month-old leopards have limited mobility and are unlikely to stray too far from home.
Yu Yiyun raised her cat face and searched around, and found the place where the leopard was curled up. She picked up the cub by the scruff of the neck again, intending to send him back to the den, so that the mother leopard would not be anxious if she couldn't find her child.
The leopard cub thought that the strange brother was going to take him to find his mother, and was so moved that he cried. He docilely retracted his paws and let Yu Yiyun pick him up.
No matter how many times he had been a cat, Piglet was never good at the action of "carrying". He didn't know how to use the right amount of force when biting the leopard cub, and it took him several attempts to drag the leopard cub back to the cave.
In order to prevent the leopard cub from falling off, Zhumi bit it a little harder for the last time.
Fortunately, the leopard cub was well-behaved and didn't say a word even though it was hurt by the bite.
Yu Yiyun thought to herself, "What a good baby," and gently placed the cub on the edge of the cave, so as to prevent the mother leopard from trespassing and causing resentment from the cub.
"Meow... Meow!" Hurry up and reply... Why are you running?
As soon as the pig opened its mouth, the originally well-behaved and docile cubs, as soon as they saw they were back in their own nest, began to struggle to rush out again.
Fortunately, Yu Yiyun was an experienced man with quick reaction. He caught the cub in just 0.1 seconds and taught him that "a good leopard should not run away from home."
After only two meows, a timid cry came from deep in the cave.
Looking up, I saw a furry little female leopard in the den, secretly poking its head out.
Suddenly meeting the gaze of a strange leopard, the little female leopard was so scared that she retracted her head and leaned against the mountain wall to prevent her abdomen from being attacked by the enemy beast.
"Meow!" Enemy beast!
"Mimi!" Get out of my house!
The little female leopard opened her mouth and exhaled, revealing her sharp baby teeth, trying her best to look the most ferocious.
But her cry was weak, and she also sounded hungry for a long time.
It was not until this moment that Yu Yiyun finally realized that something was wrong.
Judging from the condition of the two cubs, they had been hungry for at least three days.
Generally speaking, if there are unweaned cubs in the litter that need care.
Even if a female snow leopard fails to hunt, she will return to her den regularly to feed her babies.
Female snow leopards have particularly strong maternal instincts. Even if they do not eat for ten days or half a month, they will still consume their own fat to secrete milk.
Mother leopards with cubs will also change the composition of their milk at different times to allow their cubs to grow healthily.
For example, when cubs are just born, the mother leopard's colostrum contains more growth-promoting proteins.
When the cubs grow up, the milk secreted by the mother leopard changes from colostrum to regular milk. It is rich in various nutrients and helps the cubs increase their resistance and strengthen their physique.
By about three months, the mother leopard's final milk contains more fat and is easier to feed the cubs.
Even if a mother leopard eats normally, feeding her cubs will consume at least 10% of her body weight.
Three-month-old snow leopard cubs have entered the final stage of lactation and do not need to be fed several times a day.
Even so, it is rare for a mother leopard to leave her cubs in her den for several days.
Zhumi frowned, feeling that something was wrong.
"Meow?" Where's your mommy?
"Chirp, chirp!" Let me go, I want to find my mommy!
The little male leopard, whose way was blocked, struggled to rush out of the cave again, ready to perform the "alone in the snowy mountains to find his mother".
“Ouch!”
Yu Yiyun opened his mouth wide and howled, warning the little boy leopard to stay in the den.
"Meow meow meow!" I'll go help you find your mother, okay!
After crawling out of the leopard's den, the piglet was in tears.
Who understands!
I clearly came out to catch mountain goats!
It’s all Yu Yiyun’s fault for loving to join in the fun and meddle in other people’s business.
He didn't find the ibex, but got himself into a mess.
Fortunately, this is the mother leopard's territory, and there are a lot of traces of activities left here, making it much easier to find than the blue sheep.
The pig followed the scent of the beast and came to a stone wall with gullies and ravines, where he smelled two strong smells of blood.
Oops.
The situation is not good.
Following the smell of blood, Yu Yijun chased all the way to the edge of the cliff and stuck his head out to look down.
All I saw was a rocky cliff covered with bloodstains.
Judging from the distribution of bloodstains, Yu Yiyun could even infer how the female leopard and the blue sheep both rolled down.
Thinking of the little leopard in the nest waiting for its mother to return, Yu Yiyun's heart sank.
He nimbly moved around to the side, followed the flatter slope, and ran to the lower part of the mountain following the blood trail.
The mother leopard's territory is located on the sunny side of the mountain, with sufficient sunlight.
Beneath the ice and snow, a thin layer of soil covers the mountain, providing conditions for the growth of alpine plants.
In the mountainside area between about 2,500 and 4,000 meters, there grows the snow lotus, a rare plant unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Late summer and early autumn is the season when snow lotus blooms.
Wild snow lotus has high medicinal value. The Tibetan people who live in the mountains always carry bamboo baskets and climb up the mountain in the wind and snow to pick snow lotus in this season.
Yu Yiyun followed the blood trail, carrying the last glimmer of hope, looking for the mother leopard.
After climbing for a while, we didn't find the mother leopard, but we saw a few little people who were dressed very bulky and climbing the mountain slowly.
Before the pigs could see the little people clearly, they first saw the bamboo baskets on their backs.
Bamboo basket...bamboo basket...bamboo!
Bamboo, my staple food!
The pig, who had become so hungry that he had lost his mind, temporarily abandoned his current species and pounced on the bamboo basket with his paws.
With only a few meters left to reach the bamboo basket, reason finally prevailed.
never mind.
The bamboo basket is too dry and it hurts to chew.
If there were bamboo shoots, he would definitely pounce on them and eat them.
The piglet shook its tail dejectedly and was about to leave quietly.
A few little people who were traveling with us suddenly started a conversation.
"The leopard we found a few days ago was found here, right?"
"No, it should be on the slope above. Fortunately, the people picking snow lotus climbed high up. If they had found it later, they would definitely not be able to save it."
"How is the leopard now?"
"As soon as we found it, we carried it down the mountain and sent it to a rescue station. The vet said it had three broken legs and could be completely paralyzed. Even if it can stand up again, it will probably have to be sent to a zoo."
"Alas... I heard it was a female leopard. I wonder if there are any cubs in the den."
"Even if there were cubs, we wouldn't be able to help. It's too difficult to survive in the mountains."
“…”
Yu Yiyun secretly eavesdropped on their conversation and came to several important conclusions.
1. The female leopard was injured while hunting. Fortunately, she was found in time by a farmer who was collecting herbs. He was carried down the mountain and sent to a rescue station.
2. The mother leopard was seriously injured and lost her ability to move, so she was unable to return to the den to take care of her cubs.
3. If the judgment is correct, then——
There's a blue sheep nearby!
The leopard, who had not had food for three whole days, was so excited that his eyes turned green and he quickly changed his target to search for the traces of the blue sheep.
Before the ibex fell off the cliff, it had been bitten by the female leopard, leaving blood trails along the way, making it easier to track the scent.
Yu Yiyun circled the hillside twice, raised his cat-like head, and saw several bearded vultures circling in circles.
Bearded vultures are scavengers and are found in large numbers in mountainous areas.
Unlike most scavengers, they prefer to gnaw on bones rather than carrion.
Bones make up at least 80% of the bearded vulture's diet.
They will wait patiently for other predators to finish eating the meat, then fly to a high place with the bones in their grasp, release their claws to smash the bones and swallow them into their stomachs, using their powerful stomach acid to digest them.
Food on the top of the mountain is extremely precious and not a single bit of it will be wasted.
Following the guidance of the bearded vulture, Piglet successfully found the remains of the ibex, which were frozen solid.
Extreme low temperatures can keep food fresh and slow down its decay.
The mountain goat that had been dead for several days still tasted very fresh and delicious, which made Leopard cry.
A certain piglet knew that his ability was limited. Even if he died of exhaustion, he would not be able to carry a 100-pound mountain goat back to the top of the mountain.
Now that things have come to this, let’s eat first.
As the top predator on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, snow leopards usually eat slowly and leisurely, as elegantly as if they were enjoying a French meal.
The piglet, who was almost starving to death, immediately started to perform a violent inhalation performance, completely destroying the noble and elegant image of the snow leopard clan.
After filling her stomach, Yu Yiyun tried to tear off all the meat and buried it in the nearby snow. She picked up the largest piece and climbed up the mountain lightly.
The bearded vultures, which had been waiting for a long time, flew over, picked up the remaining skeletons, and began to clean up the scene.
The weather is fine today, and the scent left by Yu Yiyun on the snow slope has not been buried.
The pig, who had always had a good sense of direction, successfully found the way back and went into the mother leopard's den to feed her two babies.
The little male leopard was yelled at and scratched by the pig, and finally realized that the outside world was very dangerous, so he dared not leave the den casually. He only dared to lie on the edge of the cave, and the cat poked its head out to look around.
The little female leopard was still hiding deep in the cave, burying her head in her belly, trying to save energy by sleeping.
Yu Yiyun had no way and no intention to tell them the bad news that "Mom will not come back", so she silently tore the meat in her mouth into pieces and fed it to the two cubs.
Fortunately, the three-month-old cub has reached the end of breastfeeding and can accept solid food.
When it came to being fed, the little boy leopard was a little confused at first. He didn't understand why it was another leopard that was feeding him. He asked where his mother had gone.
Yu Yiyun said nothing and just kept feeding him.
The little male leopard couldn't get any answer from the question and was very hungry, so he had no choice but to accept the food.
The sleeping little leopard girl was awakened by the smell of meat. She ate two bites in a daze, only to find out that the one feeding her was not her mother.
She held the strip of meat in her mouth. Her brain, as big as a grape, froze for a few seconds, then restarted and continued to chew the meat.
The piglet, who had extensive experience in raising piglets, fed the two cubs mouthful by mouthful and licked their fur affectionately, leaving their scent as a mark.
"Meow!" From today on, you two are my precious daughter and cheap bastard!
"Meow meow meow!" My dear children, your father will give you names first!
Yu Yiyun observed the two cubs and found that the little girl's face, ears, and stripes on her body were all particularly round, so she unilaterally decided to name her Yuanyuan.
As for his adopted son... he was very naughty and would 'fly' away if you weren't careful. Yu Yiyun called him 'Super Thunderbolt One-Second Flying Cat' in her heart, or Feifei for short.
After being fed with a meal of meat, Yuanyuan's brain started to restart. She had already accepted the fact that she had a new mother and lay in the pig's arms, whimpering and acting coquettishly.
Feifei is still thinking about "the little kitten looking for its mother". After eating and drinking enough and recovering its strength, it will fly out of the cave if you are not careful.
Yu Yiyun tried to roar with a pliers sound several times, but with little effect, so she simply raised her paws and clanged them a few times, giving her son a complete childhood.
Does it sound good?
Good sounding means a good start.
After Feifei was beaten, his eyes instantly became clear, and he obediently rolled back into the cave and hugged Yuanyuan.
"Meow." That's right.
"Meow meow meow!" You two should go to sleep nicely and don't fight!
After giving the instructions, Yu Yiyun tore the remaining meat into strips and buried them in the snow near the cave entrance as a reserve of food.
After finishing all this work, Yu Yiyun, who was already quite exhausted, had no time to rest.
The one-year-old little snow leopard can be said to have enjoyed in advance the life of a social animal with elderly parents and young children to take care of, and itself being sandwiched between them like a beast of burden.
After coaxing the two cubs to sleep, the pig returned to the place where it hid the meat, picked up another piece of meat, and crawled back to its home.
In the cave, Ram, who was recuperating from his injuries, was worried about his baby and would occasionally jump out of the cave on three legs to observe the situation.
The cold wind brought the baby's scent from afar. Ram was very happy and circled like a dog to welcome his return.
"Meow!" Mommy!
Yu Yiyun, who was already exhausted and had been walking and resting along the way, stood up again when she heard Ram's voice and ran to her mother with all her strength.
Just returned to the nest, the pig, which had been overworked, spread out its paws and lay there panting heavily.
Cats have great explosive power but very poor endurance.
Back then, Zhima Tangyuan climbed hundreds of kilometers of mountain roads without eating or drinking, but he didn't get out of breath like this.
The worst thing was that the air was thin in the mountains, and Yu Yiyun gasped for a long time but didn't get much oxygen.
Ram hopped over on three legs to the baby and gently helped him tidy up his hair.
"Meow~" Yu Yiyun forced herself to cheer up and put the meat she brought back to her mother's mouth.
The smell of food filled his nostrils, but Ram was busy licking his baby's fur and had no intention of touching the piece of meat.
Yes, I have to feed it myself.
It's his fault for provoking so many leopards in his previous lives.
The pig tore the meat apart and used both coaxing and threats to force Ram to eat all the meat he brought back.
"meow..."
After eating the meat, Ram looked at the baby with a worried look on her face.
The pig came over, rubbed the mother's neck, and said in a guilty conscience, "Don't worry, I'm a great hunter."
God can testify that Yu Yijun did not lie.
He is really good at hunting, provided... he finds prey.
Nowadays, there are no blue sheep in the mountains and plains, so no matter how good the pig is at hunting, it is useless.
[The useless cat sighs.jpg]
With four mouths to feed at home, the blue sheep left behind by the leopard mother couldn't last long.
The pigs, who are particularly aware of the dangers, wake up from a nap and set out again to look for food.
After three full days of searching, Zhumi realized that it was too early for him to deal with the ibex.
The cold winter is coming, Yu Yiyun cannot rely on Schrödinger's "luck" to decide his fate, and must find a stable source of food.
The easiest way for wild snow leopards to obtain food, besides the remains of animals that died accidentally, is through another method.
The little snow leopard, shouldering the heavy responsibility of supporting the family, changed his mindset and climbed to the mountainside in the dark, holding its tail in its mouth.
Follow the smell of fireworks and sneak into the mountain village where little people gather.
The next morning, a farmer living at the entrance of the village got up early to work in the fields and found that the rooster at home did not crow.
I ran to the chicken coop and took a look, and saw only the hen lying there incubating eggs.
Rooster feathers, a pool of chicken blood, and feline footprints were left at the scene.
"Which wicked wild cat took my breeding rooster away! Don't let me catch it, I... Eh? What is this?"
The irritable villager was about to start cursing, but when he lowered his head and took a closer look, he found a mountain snow lotus with a tooth mark lying quietly near the big cat's footprints.
"I, I...I'm going to town to buy two more roosters tomorrow."
The villagers picked up the snow lotus and shouted happily into the house:
"Wife, Zhuzi, look what good stuff I found!"
At the same time, the piglet who climbed up the mountain with the chicken in his mouth was so moved that his eyes were filled with tears.
Free range chicken!
yyds!
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