Chapter 35: Mackenzie Wolves (IV)
Theresa, the leader of the slanted wolf pack, is a kind and loving wolf queen.
Looking through the photos taken by the photographer, we can see that in the past two cold winters, the wolf pack she rules has accepted two foreign wolves.
Theresa and her family members initially thought that Yu Yijun was just like the wolves who had sought refuge with the queen in the past, and wanted to be accepted by the queen.
There are 11 big wolves and three cubs in the wolf pack, so it is not difficult to feed one more mouth.
Theresa saw that the little black dog had a good relationship with her children. The dog was so smart and it would be a pity if he froze to death.
After a brief thought, the queen took the initiative to step forward, slowly walked in front of the black fur ball, and waited quietly from above.
The puppy, which obviously couldn't survive the cold winter, never showed any signs of 'surrender'.
From ancient times to the present, in countless film, television and literary works, the biggest label given to wolves is "loyalty".
There are also many romance novels that praise the wolves' loyalty.
Although it is mixed with human emotions and stereotypes, it is enough to illustrate the importance of loyalty to the leader among wolves.
Not to mention outside wolves, even accepted family members must always show loyalty to the leader.
Foreign wolves that do not surrender will definitely not be accepted.
Even though the queen was soft-hearted, she gradually lost her patience when she saw that he was reluctant to surrender, and ordered the black-haired ball to leave.
The black fur ball was quite tough. After being yelled at for only half a second, he put down the 'toys' he brought and left the wolf pack's territory without looking back.
"Woof woof!" The little puppy, who didn't know the truth, chased for a few steps in confusion, but was driven back by his parents. He looked at the black fur ball reluctantly.
The queen's sister couldn't understand why she was stopping her own child.
Obviously, he only needed to bend over, lower his head, and make a submissive cry, and he could join the powerful wolf pack and spend the long winter safely.
Theresa watched Yu Yijun go away, not understanding this bastard.
Two days later, Theresa led her family out hunting.
The cold wind was howling, and she met the spineless wolf cub again.
The winter is difficult for a lone wolf to survive, but packs of wolves are not afraid. Instead, they are looking forward to it.
Winter in Yellowstone belongs to wolves.
As temperatures gradually cool, plants store nutrients in their roots.
The nutrients available to herbivores are limited, and they are doomed to become weaker and weaker. Sometimes, you only need to drive them into the river, and the prey will freeze to death, without having to go through the trouble of killing them.
The temperature in Yellowstone can reach minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter. The grizzly bear, its biggest enemy, simply cannot survive and has to find a place to hibernate early.
When the wolves are well fed, their fur can withstand temperatures as low as minus fifty degrees Celsius.
In the cold winter, wolves not only have a high success rate, they complete a hunt every two days on average and can even hunt huge monsters that are ten times their own weight.
Theresa led her family members and planned to make good use of the autumn to make up for the nutrition they had gained during the summer when they were unable to move frequently in order to raise their cubs.
Be in the best condition to welcome the Yellowstone winter that belongs to the wolf clan.
Gray wolves travel in groups, searching for prey in their own territories, and can vaguely hear the unique sounds of autumn.
That sound is very unique, it is the mating horn of moose during the breeding season.
Theresa followed the sound, but before she found the moose, she ran into an uninvited guest.
The black wolf that had sneaked in a few days ago and seduced the child into bending his elbows outward ran past him chasing the otter.
Otters are good at swimming and move slowly on land, but they are slippery and can use slopes or snow to slide and increase their movement speed.
Not to mention a five-month-old wolf cub, even an adult wolf could potentially escape.
Theresa glanced at it and didn't take it seriously.
Just as she was about to move on, she heard the otter whimper and stopped abruptly.
She looked over in surprise and found that the otter was using the hillside to slide, but the wolf cub was actually faster than it!
The brave black ball suddenly jumped down from the tree and covered the otter with its body.
In just half a minute, he suffocated to death without even a chance to struggle.
“Ah~”
"Whoa whoa!"
There was a slight commotion within the wolf pack.
Using their unique way of communication, they expressed their admiration for this 'perfect hunt'.
Yu Yiyun held the trophy in his mouth, glanced at the wolves proudly, then turned and slipped away.
Theresa：???
Why are you running so fast?
I have such a big wolf pack, is it necessary for me to snatch your little meat?
Not enough to fill the gaps between teeth!
"Woof~" Theresa's husband approached the leader and wagged his tail, making a call that meant 'request to leave the team'.
As soon as the queen gave her approval, the husband immediately ran away and rushed to the place where the black ball had just hunted, and then...
He excitedly picked up the white pine branch left there by the wolf cub, which had several extra-large pine nut balls hanging on it.
White pine is a widely distributed vegetation in Yellowstone Park. The pine nuts it produces are not only large but also rich in oil.
In addition to craving for this snack, Wang Fu likes the pine nut balls themselves more.
The pine nuts of the white pine look like rugby balls and can travel a long distance with a slight roll.
What dog can resist something that is both delicious and fun?
Unfortunately, there are no white pine trees in the territory of the Zhixie wolf pack, so they can only wait for the birds that have finished eating the pine nuts to drop their pine nut balls.
Several black balls were delivered at a time, with delicious pine nuts inside. No wonder Mr. Wang was so excited.
Wang Fu: Husky attribute has been activated~
Theresa stared silently at Wang Fu, who looked worthless, and fell into deep thought.
White pine is light-loving and cold-resistant and grows in relatively dry areas.
There were no white pine trees nearby the forest wetland where they were. How could that little dog have gotten it?
What made the queen even more terrified was that the puppy deliberately left pine nuts behind in an attempt to seduce her own Husky.
It seems that it is not enough to capture the cub, so I have to prepare to bribe the big wolf.
What a cunning boy!!!
Of course Yu Yiyun did it on purpose!
There were indeed no white pine trees nearby, but he had previously dug out a lot of pine nuts from a squirrel's nest, so he judged that the pine forest must not be too far away.
The wolf cub snatched the pine nut ball that White Collar and Marshmallow were playing with from their claws, and called out to the increasingly agile Raven.
"Ouch!" I want this!
"Awooo awooo!" I want lots and lots of it!
"Ha!" The raven, a bird of prey, was once again used as cheap labor. It was so angry that it flew down and pecked at the black fur ball's head.
Yu Yijun had predicted the raven's actions long ago and hid under Marshmallow's belly, causing him to have a tuft of his butt hair pecked off.
"Boo, boo, boo!" Marshmallow cried so loudly.
After the raven had his temper, he reluctantly set off.
It flies high and sees far, can accurately lock the position, determine the shortest route, and quickly bring back a piece of white pine branch full of pine nuts.
White Collar and Marshmallow were very excited and wanted to get the toy, but their brother yelled at them and made them lie on the ground obediently.
"Ah-woo, ah-woo!" You two be obedient, I'll bribe the wolf pack next door, and there will be plenty of pine nuts!
Yu Yiyun was still talking a lot of nonsense, and kept making “ahhh” sounds for a long while.
The younger brother and sister became sleepy after listening to it, and finally lost interest in the pine nut balls. They returned to Christine's arms and rolled over to sleep.
Yu Yiyun, on the other hand, suddenly realized something:
If you shout "Ah-wool" many times, it really sounds like "Woof-woof-woof".
Don't yell like that anymore!
How can I bark like a dog when I was born a wolf?
[stubborn.jpg]
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Teresa's wolf pack set out to hunt and, after careful searching, successfully locked onto the moose that was making a mating howl.
Male moose must find a mate in the fall and stay with it until the union is successful.
Otherwise you have to be single for a whole year before you have the next chance.
Autumn in Yellowstone is fleeting, and male moose are so anxious that they even stop eating and show their love to females by running and fighting.
The moose that was targeted by the wolves had obviously not found a mate, and was kicking its back anxiously and blowing the horn.
Theresa judged that the moose was obsessed with courtship and had not eaten for several days.
Although its horns and hooves are very dangerous, with the unity and cooperation of the wolf pack, it should be possible to give it a try.
A male moose can weigh more than 1,000 kilograms, so as long as they complete the hunt, all members can store more fat.
The queen decided to fight a desperate battle and issued an attack order.
The three male wolves and two female wolves that followed closely behind rushed forward without hesitation and blocked the moose's escape route from different directions.
The queen also bravely flew forward, intending to inflict damage to the moose first.
Unfortunately, Theresa made a wrong judgment this time.
The moose had indeed not eaten for several days, but as the largest deer in the deer family, it was in the most agitated estrus period and had endless energy.
Finding itself surrounded by wolves, the moose shook off Teresa who was biting it, held its head high and raised its legs high.
The hunting process of wolves is also a process of communicating with their prey.
The moose uses the most confident attitude to tell the hunter "don't waste your energy".
Moose in autumn are far less easy to deal with than in winter.
Theresa took a few steps back and re-examined the moose, wondering whether to give up the hunt.
The wolf pack leader decides the prey, and family members are loyal to the leader.
As queen, Theresa is responsible for her family.
Unfortunately, she left her original family very early and did not accumulate much experience in living in groups.
Having not been queen long enough, Theresa has always been at a disadvantage in choosing her prey.
But she has her own weapons.
Theresa possesses the absolute power to drive away male wolves. In countless hunts in the past, she always risked her life to hunt for her family.
This time is no exception.
Her pack needs food!
Theresa didn't adjust her aim and pounced again.
This time, she managed to bite the moose's hind leg, but was kicked away by its flying hooves and rolled several meters away.
Theresa quickly got up, showing her most ferocious fangs, but her roar was not as confident as before.
The moose is stronger than he thought.
Theresa was injured.
Even if no vital injuries were sustained, the strength of the entire wolf pack would be greatly weakened, making it difficult for them to deal with the energetic moose.
Prey can be found again, but if the wolf pack loses its queen before winter comes, it will be a disaster for the wolf pack.
Theresa made a reluctant decision and planned to call on family members to divert the target.
Before she made a sound, a black shadow flashed before her eyes, and it seemed to be holding something in its mouth.
Suddenly, the moose seemed to go crazy and started wandering around aimlessly.
The shadow quickly leaped to a high place, leaving traces everywhere with the thing in its mouth, as if a bullfighter was holding a red silk ribbon to deliberately tease the moose.
The moose once again sounded its mating horn, and in the area where the shadow had passed, it ran in circles madly, raising its horns and banging its body wildly.
Yu Yijun had been in Yellowstone for more than half a month and already understood what the moose horn represented.
The male moose blowing the horn, like all men dominated by desire, has only the female moose in his mind.
Coincidentally, Yu Yiyun was catching beavers a few days ago and found that several moose often went to steal the beavers' food and left a lot of excrement nearby.
Not long after, the black-haired ball was dozing off in the sun after having eaten his fill when he was awakened by the horn of a male moose.
A bull moose with horns as big as palm-leaf fans smelled the scent and ran excitedly for several hours.
Yu Yiyun knew that males of both deer and cattle would fight each other every year during the breeding season, resulting in countless casualties.
As long as you make good use of this, you can take advantage of the opportunity to get a bargain.
Therefore, Yu Yiyun was cautious.
When the estrus female moose comes to steal the beaver's prey again, bury its excrement with fluffy, odor-absorbing soil.
During those years as a tiger, Yu Yiyun fully realized the influence of animal excrement on their own kind.
Yu Yiyun discovered the slanting wolf pack, which set its sights on the bull moose that blew the horn, and thought that the "collection" might come in handy.
He found a tree with many forked branches and some leaves that had not fallen off completely. He wetted it with water and stirred it in the mud that covered the excrement.
Make sure the branches and leaves are covered with the scent of the mother moose, and then rush to the "battlefield" with them in your mouth.
When the male moose smelled the scent of the female moose, he started looking for her like crazy, even ignoring the wolves around him.
Theresa stood there in a daze, not reacting for a moment.
After several minutes of pause, she looked at the black fur ball in shock.
The puppy looked about the same age as his nephews and nieces, and was no more than five months old.
My own nephews and nieces have no hunting skills at all, and they only know how to beg for food from their parents.
Previously, the black ball's hunting of otters alone was enough to make Theresa look at him differently.
Now he even takes advantage of the habits of moose, stimulating male moose to go crazy and consume their excess physical strength.
Theresa looked at the wolf cub from a distance and seemed to understand why he refused to submit.
Because it's not necessary.
In just two encounters, the black wolf demonstrated its social skills, hunting abilities, and outstanding strategic capabilities.
At this moment, it is no longer a case of 'a homeless cub seeking refuge with the big wolf pack', but rather Teresa realizes that her own wolf pack needs his abilities.
The black fur ball jumped up and down, spinning in circles and smearing the mud into a barrier.
Then he threw away the branch, found a place far away from the battlefield, lay there lazily and began to groom his hair, his beautiful golden eyes looking quietly at Theresa.
Theresa knew that next, it was her wolf pack's turn to show him its strength.
With this cub's ability, even if he doesn't join her pack, there are other wolf packs willing to accept him.
Wolves are the most patient hunters and can always win through unity and tug-of-war.
The moose was attacked by Theresa and its hind legs were injured. The continuous running caused the wound to deteriorate rapidly and it no longer had the same attack power as before.
The wolves saw the opportunity and pounced on the moose, biting it hard and exhausting its strength through constant biting until the giant animal took its last breath.
The wolves were exhausted after completing the hunt, but every member was filled with joy.
This hunt seemed easier than before, and no member of the wolf pack was seriously injured.
They gathered around the prey, excitedly waiting for the queen to distribute it.
Theresa is a kind leader who allows her members to eat with her when there is enough prey.
She tore open the moose skin and meat, motioned for everyone to gather around to eat, and called out to the black fur ball from afar.
“Ah!”
The queen herself summoned him and offered to give him a share of the prey.
The black fur ball moved, but didn't come over. Instead, it walked away in the opposite direction.
Theresa: ?
What? Is the otter full?
The puppy has such a small appetite, no wonder he is so thin.
At this moment, Theresa didn't know that "this little bastard has a small appetite" would become the most regrettable thought in her career as a queen.
Yu Yiyun ran away, stuck her head into the tree hole, and called out to her brothers and sisters who were huddled together for warmth.
Then it jumped up again, waking up the napping raven.
“Ouch~”
Good news, I found a long-term meal ticket for you!
After waiting for several hours in secret, the two little black dogs and the raven were already hungry. Upon hearing the call, they quickly turned on their phones and followed the black fur ball to rush towards the wolf pack.
Theresa heard the puppy barking and saw the black fur ball with three burdens, and seemed to bare her teeth.
She finally understood why the black-haired ball was unwilling to surrender.
He had his own wolf pack, although it was small, so small that Theresa was completely unaware of their existence.
It was obvious that the members of the black-furred wolf pack could not survive on their own.
That's why he tried every means to attract Theresa's attention and get her help.
Strong wolf packs are willing to form alliances to hunt and fight other wolf packs together.
But there is a prerequisite for alliance, which is "equal strength".
The Zhixie wolf pack has 11 large wolves capable of fighting, while the opposite side has only three little wolves that have just been weaned.
All members of the wolf pack will raise the cubs together. Theresa had confirmed before that the black fur ball had only the scent of a female wolf who had passed her prime.
If the Queen forms an alliance with them, won’t she be laughed to death if the news gets out?
A life of losing money all your life.
Theresa felt as if she was being plotted against, and immediately put away the expression that had just appeared when she summoned the black fur ball, and changed her seat to eat.
Even so, she did not refuse the three puppies from approaching her.
All matters concerning the wolf pack are decided by the leader.
Theresa did not expel them, and the other members tacitly accepted the three outsider wolves to dine together.
Anyway, the moose we hunted weighed more than a thousand pounds, enough to eat for a long time...
etc!
Didn't the black dog eat too much?
Are you a glutton?!
“Ahhhhh!”
It was the first time that Yu Yiyun had eaten such a sumptuous buffet after she turned into a dog.
He was not like his younger brothers and sisters, who were afraid of wolves and only dared to hide in corners and suck horns and hooves.
Relying on its small size, the black-haired ball squeezed into the center of the wolf pack, picking out the tenderest and fatty meat and eating it in big mouthfuls.
After eating, I shamelessly started packing up the food to take home for my mother.
There is so much meat anyway, so why not pack up some?
It was hard to refuse the invitation that Teresa had made herself, so she could only watch the shameless black fur ball eat and take.
never mind.
The queen suffered a loss and thought secretly: If I meet this wolf cub next time, I will definitely drive it out of my territory.
The wolf pack on the opposite side is full of old, weak and sick people. Who would want to form an alliance with them?
Price drop!
Theresa made a decision secretly and continued eating.
After only a few bites, the wolves noticed something was wrong.
The largest scavenger in North America, the predator most feared by wolves, smelled prey.
Soon, a huge grizzly bear about three meters tall and weighing seven hundred kilograms appeared in the sight of the wolves.
There are more than 500 grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park, twice as many as wolves.
Winter is coming, and the grizzly bears, who have gained weight in the autumn, are at their strongest.
The wolf pack was probably infected by Yu Yijun and had very bad luck as they were targeted by a male grizzly bear in its prime.
Although it moves slowly, it has strong attack power and stays beside its prey like a hill.
Just a slight movement of the claws could break the gray wolf's spine.
The wolves were aware of the horror of the grizzly bear and all looked at Theresa, waiting for the queen to make a decision.
Theresa bravely rushed over and tested the giant bear from different angles to determine the possibility of expelling it.
The giant bear was determined to snatch food from the wolves. It let out a ferocious roar, buried the remaining half of the moose in the ground, declared its ownership of the moose, and slapped Theresa with its thick paws.
Theresa had just been injured and her movements were affected.
She dodged narrowly and looked towards her family.
The wolves had eaten most of the food before the giant bear arrived.
The younger sister and the female wolf at the bottom who are mainly responsible for taking care of the cubs have their stomachs full of food.
Theresa knew that if they gave up on the prey, it would mean they would have to hunt again next time.
With the strength of the wolf pack, the risk of re-hunting is lower than expelling the grizzly bears.
The queen, in poor condition, was forced to give up her prey and send a "retreat" signal to her family.
Yu Yiyun, who had not walked far, also heard the retreat signal.
"Eh?" The black fur ball tilted its head curiously.
Did those wolves eat the moose so quickly?
He planned to bring his younger brothers and sisters there to eat for the next week, but the buffet restaurant went bankrupt.
Yu Yiyun thought about it carefully and realized that there were a total of 11 wolves over one year old and three five-month-old cubs in the Zhixie wolf pack.
According to the maximum configuration that an adult wolf eats 20 kilograms of meat per meal and a cub eats 5 kilograms of meat, they can only eat one-fifth at most.
You go to great lengths to hunt and kill a prey, but only eat one fifth of it. What kind of family is that?
Black Hair Ball felt strange and gave the packed meat to his younger brother and sister, asking them to help take it back.
He rolled a few times in the grass to cover the smell of blood on his body, then quietly sneaked over to check the situation.
Returning to the hunting site, Yu Yiyun saw a huge grizzly bear taller than the hill, and instantly understood why the wolf pack retreated.
Bears are the undisputed kings of picking up bargains. Among the several large individuals, only polar bears are self-reliant (have no chance to pick up bargains).
Grizzly bears are huge in size, but their hunting ability is not as good as that of dogs and cats. Their main hunting target is salmon.
In the salmon-free season, grizzly bears will rush over to take possession of any whales washed ashore, bison that have died accidentally, or prey killed by other wild animals.
Ordinary wolf packs have no way to deal with grizzly bears that are trying to steal their food.
Moreover, this grizzly bear was extremely protective of its food and would not allow the wolves to dine together.
Yu Yiyun stared at its big butt and secretly made a plan.
During the years he worked with the South China tiger, Yu Yiyun had never come into contact with grizzly bears, but she had come into contact with black bears, which have similar habits and also live in Yellowstone Park. She probably had a good understanding of the habits and weaknesses of bears.
The black fur ball stretched out its paws and approached the grizzly bear silently.
Theresa, who had already retreated, looked back, perhaps because she was unwilling or perhaps because she sensed something.
Seeing that the puppy turned back for some reason, he approached the grizzly bear which was dozens of times larger than himself.
Theresa's eyes flashed, and she signaled the wolves to stop temporarily.
After a few minutes, the queen made her decision and let out a long wolf howl.
“Ouch——!”
Theresa changed her mind.
Grizzlies are the biggest thieves of wolves and may pester them to steal food from their kills before they hibernate.
Instead of retreating again and again, the queen decided to pick up the scepter and defend her honor!
...and by the way, rescue that crazy little bastard who is seeking death.
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