Chapter 175 Arctic Fox (XV)
In winter, the fox family's day begins at night.
The big foxes and the little foxes were crowded together. You held my head and I held your butt. We curled up into a big ball without any space between us and slept so soundly that we didn't know what year it was.
The Arctic fox has a high body temperature and thick fur, which makes the entire nest cozy and even a little hot.
Some foxes feel hot and turn over to expose their white bellies, looking like they need to be rubbed.
When one fox in this large group wakes up, it will trigger a chain reaction.
The other foxes pushed and shoved, and woke up one after another.
After Yu Yiyun returned to the big family, he was always the first one to get up.
Wild animals sleep for long periods of time, with some animals averaging more than twenty hours a day.
Even animals that do not hibernate still need to sleep for long periods of time to maintain their vital signs during the cold winter.
Whether being a cat or a dog, Yu Yiyun always maintains the work and rest schedule of a social animal. Sleeping eight hours a day has surpassed 99% of the little people.
The price of being born as a human is the evolution of sleep.
It is difficult to tell time in the Arctic. I don’t know what time it is in the dark night when Zhu Wang slowly opened his eyes.
The fox cubs all sleep worse than each other, and they always like to flock to the head of the family and act clingy.
Zhu Wang raised his eyes and saw a fox head above his head, with its mouth wide open, tongue hanging out and drooling.
There was a thigh lying across his neck, but fortunately the leg was too short so he didn't suffocate.
I moved my eyes downwards and saw someone's butt. The tail was wagging back and forth. I didn't know what sweet dream he was having.
Yu Yiyun first moved away the thigh that was locking her throat, then slowly raised her head and let the fox that was resting its head on her sleep on the other animal.
Finally, he stood up quietly and let the fox lying on his belly slide down.
I was about to get rid of the slimy fox, leave this air with high carbon dioxide concentration, and face the strong wind outside.
As a result, as soon as he took a step, he stepped on someone's tail and the fox immediately howled.
After going through the most intense "fight", the fox finally managed to sleep next to Yu Yiyun. When he heard the noise, he suddenly found that there was no one around him.
Several foxes looked aggrieved, as if they were left-behind fox children cruelly abandoned by their parents, and their cries were more pitiful than each other.
The other foxes were sleeping soundly and were woken up by them. They got up in a daze and looked at Yu Yijun with blinking eyes.
"Ahhh~"Brother~
"Woo woo~" Uncle~
"Wow!" Where are you going to play and why aren't you bringing Fox with you?
“…”
Where did the green tea fox come from?
Yu Yiyun felt a headache because of their noise, and at the same time realized: There is no way the fox can stay alone today!
There was no other way, Yu Yiyun could only lead the foxes, who had eaten their fill and had nothing to do, out of their nests to enjoy the cool wind and breathe fresh air.
He originally just wanted to get out and take a breath, away from the hustle and bustle of the fox world.
But the Arctic fox is a 100% wild animal that relies on intuition. Its brain is only the size of a walnut, which is not enough to support its high-level emotions such as "sensitivity".
In the fox's cognition, leaving the nest is either to patrol the territory or to hunt.
Yu Yijun couldn't explain it to them, so in order not to appear too weird "looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle against the cold wind", he had to move his paws and begin to patrol the territory.
Patrolling the territory is a rather boring job, especially for Yu Yiyun.
We pigs don’t have much sense of territory. Even if we have drawn a circle, Yu Yiyun is usually too lazy to drive the other party away unless they provoke us.
What's more, marking territory requires excrement.
With a stone camera watching him closely, Yu Yijun's strong sense of shame prevented him from standing back without any burden.
Seeing that Yu Yijun was absent-minded, the other foxes assumed that he did not leave the den to patrol his territory.
In that case, it must be for hunting!
"Ao ao!" Hunting, hunting!
"Woo woo!" Uncle, I want to eat meat!
"Wow~" Uncle~ Let's go catch the big guy~
"Bing!" Stop!
"Bing!" It's so annoying!
Yu Yiyun interrupted them.
These fox cubs have been so well protected that they have stayed in the group since birth and have no idea of their own strength.
The big fox was so strong that even the wolves avoided it, causing the fox cubs to think they were the most powerful in the entire Arctic and to use their claws to pinch all prey.
The cub dreams of flying into the sky, but never forgets his grand goal of hunting musk oxen.
Oh.
Catch the musk ox.
Do I look like a musk ox to you?!
Yu Yiyun was so worried that her head almost doubled in size.
Don’t I want to catch musk oxen?
Don’t I crave beef?!
Ever since he turned into an Arctic fox, Yu Yiyun hasn't eaten beef for a long time. He didn't feel so wronged even when he was a giant panda.
But the musk ox has thick skin and flesh, so it is not easy for a mere Arctic fox to catch it...
etc!
Yu Yiyun changed her mind again and again, and a bold idea came to her mind.
Musk oxen have thick skin and flesh and a fierce temperament. The Arctic fox cannot cause fatal damage to the musk ox through a head-on attack and is easily killed by it.
Therefore, no matter how hungry the foxes in the Arctic Circle are, they dare not target musk oxen casually.
Yu Yiyun is different!
He is good at all kinds of insidious, cunning and freeloading tricks.
Since traditional hunting methods failed to catch the musk ox, Fox couldn't help but start thinking of some crooked ideas.
Two hours later, the foxes each found a small snowdrift and hid inside to secretly observe the musk ox.
Musk oxen live in the Arctic Circle. Not only can they resist the cold with their thick fur, but they also have a very high food utilization rate.
Generally speaking, herbivores have lower food conversion rates than carnivores.
For example, the cattle that Yu Yiyun raised in the wild at that time had a food conversion rate of about 10% when they ate grass and branches.
Musk oxen gnaw on lichens, shrubs, and mosses, and their food absorption rate can reach 40%, greatly increasing the survival rate of the population.
Even with a high food conversion rate, musk oxen are huge and food is scarce in the Arctic winter.
Musk oxen have to spend a lot of time looking for grass roots under the snow to fill their stomachs.
Yu Yiyun observed for several hours and roughly figured out the behavior patterns of the musk ox.
Musk oxen tend to move in groups, searching for grass roots beneath the snow from dusk till dusk.
If they encounter wolves or other enemy animals, most musk oxen's reaction is not to run away, but to gather in groups to fight the enemy together.
An experienced wolf pack will disperse the musk ox herd, target the old, weak and sick ones among them, surround them and isolate them from the main group.
The Fox Corps had no way of emulating the experience of their canine predecessors.
Even if dozens of Arctic foxes rushed over, the musk oxen herd would not be scattered because of fear.
On the contrary, the petite Arctic fox might be trampled into fox puree by the hooves.
A few foxes nearby, who had no idea of its strength, stared at the musk ox with their eyes wide open, drooling madly, wishing they could jump out and hang on it.
Yu Yiyun used his claws to hold down a few restless fox cubs, signaling them not to scare the cows, but to follow him to explore the nearby environment and make use of everything they could.
Musk oxen usually live in tundra areas, where the surrounding area is relatively flat. Under the snow is mainly permafrost, with mosses and bushes growing on it, and even decent stones are quite rare.
Yu Yiyun wanted to imitate what she did in Yellowstone Park and use the terrain to trap the musk ox and make it fall into quicksand, but it was almost impossible.
However, frozen soil also has its advantages.
Frozen soil is harder than ordinary soil. As long as the hardness is high enough, it is stone!
Even though a musk ox has the protection of horns covering its head, it can still suffer a concussion if hit hard enough.
After observing the terrain, Yu Yiyun called his youngest sister and whispered to her, explaining his plan through complex body movements.
If it were another fox, it would definitely be confused when seeing Yu Yijun running wildly, falling down, and jumping up and down again.
The youngest sister was worthy of being brought up by her brother. She learned various hunting techniques from him and even figured out the general idea from Yu Yiyun's complicated and confusing movements.
A few hours later, the foxes keenly felt the wind rising, and the youngest sister immediately led the fox army and rushed towards the location of the musk ox.
Most of the time, musk oxen are not afraid of Arctic foxes.
But now the wind and snow are coming, which is very unfavorable for the musk ox.
There are old cows and newborn calves in the group, who have weak resistance to the cold and must gather together with the main group to keep warm.
It would be particularly disadvantageous for the cattle if they were dispersed at this time.
Hearing the barking of dogs in the wind, the musk oxen vaguely thought it was a pack of wolves, and the leading bull immediately decided to go to a sheltered place.
When they are stationary, the musk oxen group is very close together, leaving no room for attack.
Once the herd starts moving, immediately distance yourself from the front and back.
Night fell over the North Pole, and visibility was low.
Cows' eyesight has never been a strong point. They can only see simple colors clearly. It is almost impossible for them to catch the Arctic fox that blends in with the snow with their eyes.
The wind and snow forced them to lower their heads, and they had to rely entirely on their sense of smell to determine their direction.
A musk ox smelled the scent of its own kind and turned left, so I also turned left and walked forward following the scent.
It walked for a long time without realizing that anything was wrong, leaving behind only lonely hoof prints in the wind and snow.
Suddenly, the breath of the same kind stopped.
The musk ox lowered its head in confusion and searched around, and through the dynamic image, it vaguely captured an Arctic fox rolling on the ground.
Yu Yiyun and his companions wiped off the smell of musk oxen on their bodies, and heard the signal from the youngest sister, knowing that the large group of musk oxen had gone far away.
The snow and wind are so strong that it is difficult for them to brave the wind and snow to save their companions.
The musk ox realized that he had fallen into a trap, and immediately became angry and rushed towards the fox rolling on the ground, mooing.
Yu Yiyun turned over nimbly.
The snow on the ground had been shoveled away as he rolled around, revealing the frozen, hard soil.
The musk ox pushed forward heavily, but not only did it fail to hit the little fox, it also took several steps back.
"Hmm~"
Yu Yiyun changed his position and made a provocative sound.
At the same time, the companions also imitated the head of the family and made noises to attract the musk oxen to attack the place where they had rolled.
Of course the musk ox was unaware of their conspiracy and it bared its horns and butted again and again.
The cow has a ferocious character and is an animal that is easily controlled by anger.
When extremely angry, bulls cannot even feel pain, which is why they die in battle in the Colosseum.
The musk ox attacked again and again, not even realizing that so many of its attacks were ineffective that its horns were being worn away.
On several occasions, Yu Yiyun deliberately jumped sideways to lure the musk ox to attack with one of its horns. As a result, his head hit the hard ground due to the huge reaction force and unstable center of gravity.
This happened dozens of times before the musk ox became shaky and did not attack again after it stood up.
Yu Yiyun knew that the time was ripe and immediately sounded the horn of attack.
Upon hearing the order from the patriarch, the Fox Legion, who had no idea of their own and the musk ox's fighting power, bravely rushed forward.
The foreign fox who finally entered the fox family was a little hesitant at first.
He was experienced and knew how ferocious musk oxen were. He also knew that ordinary Arctic foxes would have a hard time even catching rabbits, let alone hunting such a huge animal.
But the foreign fox looked to the left and right and found that not a single fox retreated. They all pounced upwards with all their might.
After being thrown away, he got up again and continued to attack as if his life depended on it.
The foreign fox gritted its teeth and pounced forward as well.
He was in his prime, with a stronger bite force and longer canine teeth than the little fox, and he successfully bit open the hide of the musk ox.
The tickling attacks of dozens of foxes were not enough to bring down the musk ox and only served to enrage it further.
The musk ox, which had regained some sanity due to the pain, began to be dominated by anger again and locked its enemy in the void on the vast snowfield.
The wind and snow became more and more violent, the musk ox was injured, and its strength was depleted rapidly.
Finally, after an attack, it shook particularly noticeably.
Yaomei and Yu Yiyun seized the opportunity, pounced forward at the same time, and bit the musk ox's hind leg joints.
After such a long period of cooperation, almost all the foxes have learned this method.
No matter how big the prey is, as long as it can no longer stand up, it is only a matter of time before the feast begins.
“Moo——!”
The musk ox howled loudly and raised its head in grief and anger.
The herd, which had already walked far away, heard the screams of the musk ox and listened.
After a while, the leader of the herd took another step and walked away silently.
It knew that winter was the season of wolves, and they could not save their dying companions from the claws of the wolves.
But the leader of the herd didn't know that their enemy this time was not a wolf at all.
But those cunning foxes that are tiny and vulnerable and cannot be seen at all unless you lower your head.
At this moment, the fox family surrounded the musk ox that could no longer stand up, huddled together for warmth, waiting for it to exert its last bit of strength.
The cold weather had arrived, and this blizzard was particularly severe, which soon covered the musk oxen with a layer of frost.
Seeing that it still had its eyes wide open and was shouting unwillingly, Yu Yiyun stood up, shook his fur, and took the initiative to come to the musk ox.
"Moo!"
The musk ox finally saw the enemy's appearance clearly, and its cry was filled with anger and unwillingness.
Perhaps it never thought that its life would end in the claws of such a despicable and weak race.
“Hmm.”
Yu Yiyun called out softly, trying to persuade this tenacious soul to rest in peace soon.
"Hmm."
It's not a loss for you to lose to a powerful and united race.
After whimpering, Yu Yiyun jumped up in the snow.
Musk oxen have strong vitality and although the joints of their limbs were bitten off, the amount of bleeding was limited.
It has thick fur as a defense, and a mere snowstorm will freeze it to death in three to five days.
The musk ox raised its horns and tried to attack Yu Yiyun who jumped onto its head.
Yu Yijun nimbly dodged it and actually sat directly between its two horns, hooked it with her hind paws, and opened her mouth to bite the musk ox's neck.
Musk ox hide is extremely thick, much thicker than that of a reindeer.
The muscle tissue on its neck can protect the arteries very well, and even wolves cannot easily bite through them.
However, on such a cold night, the musk ox felt a warm pain.
A mere fox actually pierced its own blood vessels.
The gushing blood flowed out, and Yu Yiyun was dyed red again.
Unfortunately, the musk ox's eyes could not see red, only a lighter and lighter grey, whispering rest in his ears.
The natural law of the survival of the fittest once again stands on the side of the victor, proving the strength of the fox family.
It was the first time for the foreign fox to participate in such a battle, and it was so surprised that it couldn't scream.
Having been an Arctic fox for so many years, I always thought that we foxes were weak, insignificant, and always suffered bullying.
Not only do they have to stay away from bears and wolves, but even if they encounter a red fox, which belongs to the same family as the fox, they have to run away with their tails between their legs, ceding their territory and struggling to survive.
Today, this group of arrogant foxes who are ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth have allowed the foreign foxes to see new possibilities.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
A little fox can also dominate the ice field!
The blizzard was beyond imagination and lasted almost half the winter.
Many animals starved or froze to death in the heavy snow, but the fox that hunted a musk ox on the eve of the snowstorm survived the coldest time of the winter with the help of the fat prey, and welcomed the dawn together.
The wind and snow have stopped, the temperature has gradually warmed up, and spring is getting closer.
It's not even dawn yet, but the foxes are already impatient to return to their breeding grounds to start the annual dog blind date event.
Eight of Yu Yiyun's brothers and sisters in the same nest have already married, and they only need to wait for their partners in the nest last year.
There were too many newly born Arctic foxes, and Yu Yiyun had no energy to take care of them, so she simply let them fall in love freely and find a partner based on their own abilities.
It’s just as well that we can’t get it, so we can all stay in the nest and be Dehua!
Arctic Cupid, who still plans to work as a confinement nanny this year, only has her youngest sister to worry about.
The youngest sister is almost two years old. She is growing strong and beautiful and is about to reach her peak, attracting foxes from all over the Arctic.
As soon as they returned to the breeding ground, three male foxes came running over to dance for the youngest queen.
The youngest sister has grown into a big fox. She has accumulated rich survival experience and seems to be willing to form a family. She did not directly reject the male fox's courtship like she did last year.
However, the way the youngest sister examines the male fox is... a little special.
Before the male fox finished dancing, the youngest sister pounced on him and started wrestling with him.
In the end, the male fox often ends up with his head beaten with a bruise and he has to crawl away in shame.
"Hmm." Sister.
Yu Yiyun was particularly worried.
"Hmm?" You are competing in a martial arts contest to find a husband. Which male fox in the entire Arctic can beat you?
"Woo-woo." That useless male fox can't even beat me, how can I expect him to protect his cubs?
[Justified.jpg]
Yu Yijun really couldn't win the argument with her. She could only watch as the youngest queen chased away one male fox after another. She probably wouldn't be able to find a partner in the short term.
Pig Wang silently sympathized with the male foxes for three seconds, then left his youngest sister who was competing in the martial arts competition to observe the blind dates of other foxes.
Without the intervention of Arctic Cupid, the foxes have their own problems in blind dating.
Either their partners don’t like them because they are too young; or they are about to succeed in finding a partner but are interrupted by someone else; or they don’t plan to find a partner at all and just watch the fun like the adults do…
In comparison, it is more worry-free for the foxes that have already formed a partner, as they only need to wait for their beloved fox to return.
The breeding season has just begun, and the pigs who have no intention of seeking mates have nothing to do, so they go around watching the foxes' reunion drama.
The first fox to find a mate was Xiao 6, whose cubs had the highest survival rate last year.
To be precise, it is not Xiaoliu who is waiting for his lover.
As soon as February arrived, the Fox Fox family was among the first to return to Fox Fox Island, and Xiao 6's male fox was already waiting by the nest.
When he saw Xiao 6, he couldn't wait to run over to lick his wife's fur and invited her to visit the newly renovated nest.
Xiao 6 was very satisfied and immediately went into the nest to spend the sweet time with his partner, starting this year's breeding season together.
After a few days, several female foxes found their mates one after another.
In comparison, male foxes wait for their partners relatively longer.
As the sun was about to rise, there were still three male foxes who had not waited for their wives. They were Xiao 1, Xiao 8, and Fox Dad.
Yu Yiyun stayed beside the fox father and patted its shoulder to comfort it.
"Oh." Don't be anxious. My mommy's sense of direction is not very good.
"Ah..." The fox father drooped his ears in grievance, his eyes staring into the distance.
Another day passed, and more and more foxes on Fox-Fox Island were waiting for their partners. Little 1's partner also ran over from the other side, but Little 8 and Fox Dad still hadn't waited for their wives.
Yu Yiyun felt strange.
It's not that I'm surprised Fox Mom hasn't come back yet. After all, it was proven last year that Fox Mom followed me and didn't have a good sense of direction. God knows where she got lost.
He still remembers that last year, Xiao 8 found a wife first and his cubs were born first.
While other foxes haven't succeeded in courting mates, Xiao 8 is already happily dating a beautiful female fox. Yu Yijun has even fancied them both.
Under normal circumstances, the places where foxes spend the winter will not deviate much, and the time they return to their breeding grounds is basically the same.
It doesn't make sense that we went to the island in early February last year, but we haven't seen any signs of the beast yet in almost March this year.
Xiao 8 seems to be aware of this and frequently leaves the territory to look for a mate.
As he searched, he came across a familiar female fox, wandering around a nearby island in confusion.
"Oh." Mommy.
Xiao 8 called her and took Mommy back to Fox Island.
The fox father finally waited for his wife. He happily shook his tail like a propeller and ran freely on the ice and snow with his wife, expressing their longing for each other.
After seeing his parents reunited, Xiao 8 seemed even lonelier and once again embarked on the journey of finding a partner.
The second day passed, and the third day passed.
Yu Yiyun watched as Xiao 8 became thinner due to fatigue, and Xiao 8's friend was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing that other foxes have already started breeding this year, the little fox who couldn't find a mate suffered from the beating of society and returned to him with a sad face.
Even the youngest sister, after beating a group of male foxes, gave up on courting this year in disappointment and continued to serve as the guardian.
Xiao 8's partner never showed up.
There may be no love between animals, but they have the ultimate loyalty.
Yu Yiyun has seen bald eagles that perform a sand sculpture courtship dance with their partners every year, wolves that seek revenge for their partners, and albatrosses that spend their entire lives flying across the blue planet in search of their partners...
They did not make any promises, but they fulfilled their promises with their lives.
Even though the Arctic fox is small, it is also loyal to its partner.
Little 8 was squatting beside last year's nest, waiting for the fox that might never come back.
Yu Yiyun came to Xiao 8 and fed him a lemming.
Xiao 8 ignored him and went into the nest alone, lying quietly where his partner had been lying last year.
“…嘤.”
Yu Yiyun held the lemming in his mouth and tried to feed it again, but it still didn't work.
Seeing that her CP ended up like this, Yu Yiyun couldn't accept it and threw the lemmings into Xiao 8's cave.
"Hmm!" Wait, I'll find your wife for you!
"Yingying!" If I want to see the fox alive, I want to see its fur dead!
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