Chapter 121 Mutant Deer, Withered, Abnormal
It was the height of summer, and the plants were exceptionally lush.
The cubs born in spring successfully navigate the most dangerous months, following their mothers in search of food and cautiously traversing the forest.
Ample food and a relatively safe environment allow them to live better than animals in other places.
The cubs need to eat a lot in the summer to get enough nutrition to promote growth and development, so that they can successfully get through their first winter.
The mother deer, who had already successfully raised two calves, knew this well. She looked at her fawns eating berries with eyes full of tenderness.
This is its third cub, a healthy and lively male stag.
"Yo, yo."
Hearing its mother's call, the fawn quickly swallowed the berries in its mouth, picked up a few more, and then reluctantly left the berry-covered bush.
As darkness fell, the night sky was dotted with stars, but the dense branches of the trees in the forest blocked the view, making it difficult for the animals in the forest to see the complete starry sky.
The fawn stared wide-eyed, head held high, gazing at the sky with a kind of fascination—newborn fawns are always full of curiosity about their surroundings.
The mother deer nudged the fawn's rump with her head, urging it to hurry up. It was getting dark, and they had to get back to the herd before it got completely dark, or the predators in the forest would definitely target them.
They live in a small herd led by a strong stag, and the newborn calves this year are all its offspring.
Fortunately, the mother deer safely returned to the herd with her fawn. The adult deer greeted each other, and the fawn happily ran to its brothers and sisters.
In the darkness, nothing could be seen, and the fawns huddled close to their mothers as they slept. The adult deer, vigilant of their surroundings, used their tails to shoo away the flying insects that kept biting them.
Their current location seems good, but it's not.
A few years ago, their main range of activity was concentrated in the depths of the forest, where a very strange vine appeared that would lurk and grab various animals and then absorb their life force.
They had no choice but to leave their former habitat and come to this place.
Although there is ample water here, food is still somewhat scarce during the winter and spring.
Even so, they were already quite content. At least they were still alive and could continue the next generation, instead of losing their lives like other animals and turning into piles of white bones under the vines.
The fawn rubbed against its mother. It was tired from walking too much during the day and didn't really want to sleep yet, but it was still young and growing, so it soon nodded and fell asleep.
The doe, observing the other doe around her who appeared lazy but were actually resting with their eyes closed, remained vigilant at the slightest disturbance, and decided to take a short nap. With her kin present, she could relax a little.
Summer nights are just as hot; only after midnight do the temperatures drop, bringing a welcome respite from the heat.
Wild birds and summer insects finally began to rest, and the surroundings became quiet. The deer and other animals in the forest enjoyed the breeze, feeling relaxed and comfortable.
With such rare good weather and a rare moment of rest, it seems I could fall into a deep sleep any minute.
The rustling sound of friction becomes the best lullaby; it must be the reptiles, who are adept at nocturnal activity, searching for food again.
For them, deer are too large to be considered food, so the herd remained lying down and resting, showing no intention of moving.
However, these life experiences did not bring the deer any luck. In the forest, where the night was firmly shrouded, countless vines were constantly stretching outwards, and the rustling sound was the sound of the vines rubbing against the ground and grass.
Wherever it went, almost instantly, all life lost its vitality. The night provided convenient concealment, and black became the best camouflage for the anomaly.
The next day at dawn, Lei got up very early as usual.
The heart palpitations he experienced last night made him feel unwell and he didn't sleep well, but the rich elements in the air soothed him somewhat.
This is a unique benefit of summer, perhaps because of the lush vegetation, the elements in the air have been very active since the beginning of summer.
After washing up, Lai heated up breakfast and swept the yard. As usual, she cleaned the house and yard thoroughly.
After Neil got up, ate breakfast, packed his things, and went to school, leaving Ray alone at home again. He then started tending to the green beans in the backyard.
He planted a lot of vegetables, which inevitably meant he spent a lot of time tending to the vegetable garden.
Time flew by and it was noon. Lai carried a basket to deliver lunch to Guge. Since Guge usually ate alone at noon, Lai brought extra food for him so that Guge wouldn't have to cook for himself.
As soon as Lai stepped outside, he sensed that something was wrong in the village. Usually, there weren't many people in the village at this time, but it shouldn't be this quiet.
Walking through the small corridor made of grapevines in Guge's house, Laiyi saw Guge fanning himself in a wicker chair under the eaves.
"Lay's here. Come sit here, there's some freshly ripened fruit to eat."
"good."
Lei placed lunch on the low table.
Lunch was simple: a cucumber salad, a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup, two steamed buns, and a few cloves of salted garlic.
The kimchi has only been pickled for a short time and cannot be eaten yet.
Despite it being just simple food, Guge praised it highly.
Lai had already eaten, Guge was eating over there, and Lai also took a fruit and sat down to eat it.
"Did you hear the commotion in the village?"
"When we arrived, the village seemed a bit too quiet. Why is that?"
Lai looked at Gug with a puzzled expression.
"You didn't go out this morning?"
"No, I was picking vegetables in the backyard."
"Ah, you young man, your information is not as good as this old man's."
Gu Ge joked, and then stopped keeping him in suspense.
“That grove outside the village,” Guge noticed Lai’s confusion, “is the grove where the accident happened last winter.”
Upon hearing news about that forest again, Lai immediately became serious.
"What's wrong?"
"The entire forest there withered, withered overnight, as if it had been cursed. I've lived for over a hundred years and this is the first time I've encountered something like this. It's really strange."
Gugge frowned, clearly not believing that the matter was simply as simple as withering.
"I'll go take a look."
Ray also felt that this happened very suddenly, and since he had been attacked in that forest, there was bound to be some connection, so it was necessary to go there and check it out.
"Okay, go ahead. Remember to bring your weapons; escaping is the most important thing if necessary."
Guge is an enlightened patriarch who will not prevent young people from taking small risks as long as they are safe.
"good."
After cleaning up the dishes, Lai returned home from Guge's house, grabbed a bone knife and bow and arrows, and hurried towards the woods outside the village.
Not far after leaving the village, they saw a large group of villagers who had come to watch the spectacle. The elder Barnett had also arrived, standing at the very front with a long face, and Kari was standing next to him.
"Brother, you're here too!"
Lamb spotted Ray and squeezed through the crowd, pulling Ray across to Hagrid and the others.
"Brother, I went to look for you earlier, but you weren't home, so I came here first."
"Yes, I just went to Grandpa Guge's house."
"I see, no wonder I couldn't find you."
"What happened? Is anyone hurt?"
"No one was injured, but the situation doesn't look good."
Lamb and Ray whispered to each other.
“In winter, a mutated plant appeared in the forest, and the two of us almost became its nourishment. Now that something has happened in the forest, no one dares to go in easily, for fear of going in alive but not coming out alive.”
Lei looked over the heads of the villagers in the front row and saw the current state of the forest.
A large forest was withered by more than half overnight.
The trees, which should have been lush and leafy, are now bare, and the ground is covered with withered leaves and dead vegetation.
Anyone could see that something was wrong here.
"Behave yourself."
Hagrid glared at the carefree Lamb and called Ray to his side.
"Be careful, no matter who advises you not to go in. I'll help you stop those with ulterior motives; it's probably not very safe inside."
Hagrid's fear that Ray might use magic would cause him some unnecessary trouble.
"good."
Barnett's brow furrowed deeper, but as the leader of the entire village, he had to do something to calm the uneasy villagers.
"Father, let me go."
Banette restrained the restless Kari.
"No one should enter the forest without first determining its danger."
Barnett looked around at the villagers who were gathered around him.
Some were curious, some were afraid, and some were simply there for the spectacle.
“I will report this to the mayor, the church, and the mage association. No one is allowed to approach this place until they arrive. If anyone sneaks in and something happens, don’t blame me for disregarding our years of friendship.”
Barnett spoke very seriously, warning everyone not to come near, which could be seen as a way of protecting the defenseless villagers.
"Everyone, you can leave now. Don't you need to do the work in the fields?"
Barnett chased away the villagers who had come to watch the spectacle, leaving only the respected elders of the village and the guards behind.
Hagrid, Brian, and Reese stayed behind, while Ray returned to the village with the curious Lamb.
"Brother, tell me what exactly happened inside."
"I haven't been inside, how would I know?"
"Too."
Lamb didn't stop for long before he started rambling on again, clearly showing how interested he was in the matter.
"Brother, do you think it's possible that it's caused by that mutated plant?"
"have no idea."
Maybe.
"Lay added in his mind."
What he didn't say was that after he released the magic, he didn't sense the presence of the mutated plant.
Apart from the unusually strong wood element, the forest seemed to be dead, devoid of any signs of life.
At the same time, he suddenly felt a strange power in the forest.
It wasn't particularly powerful, but it held an irresistible attraction for him, making him somewhat distracted.
"elder brother!"
"What's wrong, Lamb?"
Ray snapped out of his daze and looked at Lamb.
“I was just asking you if you’ve bought the fruit trees yet. Dad said he knows someone we can go to his place to take a look.”
"Okay, let's go take a look together sometime."
"I answered absentmindedly," Ray replied.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-03-09 23:41:38 and 2024-03-13 23:58:21!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Nanshan Yinan 10 bottles; Chibaoledouzhai 6 bottles; Shi Nianye Yansheng Taoyou 5 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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