Condes Mountains
The upright-eared marten that had just come over was now resting its head in Myron's palm, scratching itself with his thick woolen gloves.
He looks very well-behaved and doesn't look afraid at all.
"I rescued it when I was climbing up the mountain. It was stuck in a crevice, and one of its legs was worn down to the bone."
Ding Can looked at the hind legs of the erect-eared marten. There was indeed a patch where no hair had grown, and the skin color was slightly different from the rest of the area.
Dasong also wanted to touch it, but was afraid of scaring it away: "You even gave it a name? Why is it Yuanyuan?"
"It's because of that piece of fur." Ding Can pointed to the tuft of white fur on the chest of the erect-eared marten.
The fur of this erect-eared mink is yellowish-brown with very few grayish-white guard hairs mixed in. It is nothing unusual, but on its chest, it has a very regular round patch of fluff.
Myron pinched the back of Yuanyuan's neck and said, "Well, I took him home and raised him for a few days. Later, he returned to the tribe. Every time he sees me, he still comes over."
"Oh, if only it could understand what we're saying," Dasong propped up his chin and looked at Yuanyuan, "You're in danger, don't you know?"
The upright-eared marten tilted its ears to the side, as if it was really listening to him very carefully.
"Okay, the sun is shining brightly now. Let's wait here for a while and see if we can run into anyone."
Myron cleared the large rocks and snow from the ground and lay directly on the ground. There was a ball of grass underneath, which was very soft.
The remaining two people also lay down in his position.
Ding Can stared at the group of minks for a long time, and a thin layer of ice crystals fell on his eyelashes. When he wanted to move around, he found that Myron had fallen asleep without him knowing.
It turns out that he is getting old and is not in good spirits.
His tightly closed eyes were full of wrinkles. Time had left many traces on his face, most of which were caused by the wind and snow in the Condas Mountains.
He spent his whole life on the snow-capped mountains and dedicated his whole life to them.
If he fails to punish the poachers before leaving, it will probably become a regret for his entire life.
She wrapped Myron's fur coat tighter around him, and on the way she touched Yuanyuan, who was stuck under his arm, and moved his two short legs in front to get out.
"Shh!" Ding Can stretched out a finger to signal it to be quiet, regardless of whether it could understand or not.
The group of minks opposite had not moved much. After staring at the almost motionless object for a long time, Dasong felt a little tired and couldn't help yawning.
"When do you think Cheetah will actually take action?"
As he spoke, white mist emerged from his mouth and quickly dissipated without a trace when it hit the cold wind.
"I don't know. The only thing we can do now is to stay here. I hope Ye Shan and the others can come back tonight and bring back some useful clues."
After staying in the snow for a long time, my legs became a little stiff, like rhizomes dug out from the frozen soil in winter, which could not be warmed up even after holding them in my hands for a long time.
She blew hot air into her palms and rubbed her hands together.
Dasong noticed that she was cold and said, "Why don't you go back first? I'll be watching over here."
"It's okay. With the two of us here, at least there's someone to look after us. I'll just move around a bit."
Just as Ding Can remembered it, he found that Yuanyuan had approached them at some point, standing on her front legs and gesturing something, while howling.
"What does it mean? It was like a kitten just now, why is it a puppy now?"
Seeing it approaching, Dasong hooked his finger to tease it.
Yuanyuan ignored him, took a step back, called out to Ding Can twice, then ran across the snow towards her companions. Soon, twenty or thirty upright-eared martens followed her back.
They formed a circling posture and pounced on the three of them. Judging from their posture, they seemed to be trying to keep them warm.
The little animals with their fur came closer, and the heat was transferred to each other warmly. I really didn't feel so cold immediately. This is much better than doing warm-up exercises on my own.
Ding Can immediately retracted the idea of getting up. Seeing these erect-eared martens clustered together from a close distance, they looked even more adorable. She raised her hand and smoothed the fur on the back of the one closest to her.
The upright-eared mink squinted comfortably, purred a few times, and leaned against her more comfortably.
Her voice softened unconsciously: "It turns out that animals really are so human-like."
Dasong has a lot to say about this: "Of course, apart from the beasts that are born with hunting instincts, most small animals are very kind."
As a child, he lived in the mountains and forests with animals, and spent more time camping in the forest than at home.
The lambs in the mountains, the birds nesting in the trees, after seeing these small animals many times, you will soon let down your guard and become familiar with them.
Just like the children you meet every day when you go out, every time you go into the mountains, they seem to be able to find you by smelling the scent or hearing the familiar footsteps, and everyone plays together.
Even after he went to school for a few years, the animals were still able to recognize him when he returned.
But Dasong couldn't figure out whether this was good or bad. Animals didn't understand the flattery and cunning of human society. They thought that humans would never harm them just because they showed them temporary friendship.
They cannot see through disguises and are therefore more easily swallowed by the abyss.
"Oh, sometimes I really hope they are not so stupid as to not even realize there is a knife hanging over their heads."
Because Dasong had just caught a fish, there was still some fishy smell on his arm. A marten came over and sniffed for a long time, its small nose still pushing in.
He stretched out a few fingers and flicked its head. Boom.
They were so trusting so quickly, and Myron said they were naturally wary.
The upright-eared marten's eyes suddenly opened wide in shock, full of disbelief. It lowered its head and rubbed the skin on its head several times with its front paws.
More than half an hour later, when Myron woke up, he was amazed to see the circle of minks around him.
I also noticed that the two backup rangers next to me were having a great time with the erect-eared martens, and my heart softened a little.
"I asked you to keep a close eye on it. Do you see anything wrong?"
Dasong rested his head on a long, furry tail, looking very comfortable. "We've been watching, and there's nothing unusual going on at the moment."
"Let's go. After a while, the upright-eared martens will return to their caves after sunset. It's not a good time to hunt anymore, and poachers won't show up."
Myron pushed the little guys in front of him away, slowly stood up, and shook off the snow that had blown onto his body.
The snow fell on the upright-eared martens. They scattered and ran a few steps to the side, then stopped and raised their heads to look.
"Tomorrow, the three of us will separate. You two will stay here and guard while I go find other groups of upright-eared martens."
Although the erect-eared marten is a social animal, the relationship between different groups is not close.
Once they detect the presence of unfamiliar species around them, they will quickly move away, and may even migrate for more than ten miles before stopping to survive normally.
The snow-capped mountains are extremely large, and the number of upright-eared martens is far more than what we see now. This is the group closest to the cabin. It will take a long time to find more.
Who knows, what the "Cheetah" wants to do is not what it sees now.
Before Ding Can left, he squatted down and greeted Yuanyuan: "Stay in the cave well these few days and don't go out as much as possible."
*
From the outside of the cabin, you can see smoke rising from the chimney, and when you open the door, you can smell a delicious fragrance.
The group of explorers who were rescued earlier seemed to have recovered very well. They had gathered in a circle around the stove, chatting animatedly about family matters.
Tuna heard the door open and looked towards the door. The long-handled spoon in her hand was still stirring the fish soup in the pot, and her cheeks were slightly red from the smoke.
"You're back. Did your patrol go well today?"
She had no idea they were there to "hunt cheetahs" and thought it was just a routine job for the rangers.
Ding Can untied his outer robe and saw that the man in the team was holding a basin filled with corn paste and was sticking pancakes on the edge of the iron pot.
There are already two cooked on the wall of the pot, and it looks like the cook is very skilled.
"It was very interesting. I saw a lot of small animals that I had never encountered before."
Dasong walked over and took the spoon from Tuna. "Let me do it. We also saw a large group of upright-eared martens. They are so cute, like little elves."
"Prick-eared marten?" Tuna turned her head away. "Is that the same marten that Mr. Myron brought back to the cabin to rescue last time?"
She saw it the last time Myron brought Yuanyuan back, and she even helped take care of her for a few days.
Dasong nodded: "Yes, we met in the west."
Tuna blinked. "You're really lucky. I haven't seen them in the mountains since then. They always hide from a distance when they see people. By the way, where did you see them in the west?"
"It's on the second peak to the west, halfway up the mountain, near a sunny flat slope. If Mr. Mellen hadn't known about it in advance, we two wouldn't have been able to find it."
Dasong tilted his head back to talk to Tuna, and he couldn't do two things at once, so he dropped some of the spoon in his hand into the pot.
"Be careful, don't touch my cake with the spoon. It's not formed yet." The man saw that Dasong was clumsy and reminded him.
Tuna asked for the iron spoon back and said, "Let me do it. You guys have worked hard outside. Rest over here and warm up. Brother Charles, you can continue to paste it."
Charles was the initiator of the expedition, and his girlfriend was Lucy.
Lucy was watching her boyfriend cook with admiration on her face, occasionally helping to add some firewood to the fire.
It was the first time Ding Can saw someone making pancakes in an iron pan, and she couldn't help but take a few more glances. Noticing Lucy's gaze, she explained, "Don't mind, I'm just a little curious."
"Charles is a very good cook. After we fell in love, she prepared every meal. I am the one who can't cook at all."
"Tortillas are my best pasta. You'll know when you try them later." During the conversation, Charles finished making two more tortillas.
Ding Can noticed that the edge of the tortilla had darkened slightly. "Is it the kind with a thin crispy crust on one side?"
"That's right, and the bottom half is soaked in broth, so you can eat it straight up even if it doesn't go with any other dishes."
"Then I'll wait. Thank you for your hard work." Ding Can sat down on the mat and continued to appreciate the other party's smooth cooking skills.
Tuna's eyes curved up. "Sister Lucy, you're so lucky to have a lover like this. He cooks delicious meals and is willing to take care of you. You must be living like a little princess every day."
It's hard not to be happy when being praised. Lucy affirmed: "It's true that Charles is more tolerant of me in private, and I will also try to be better to him."
Dasong looked at Tuna, then at Charles, thought for a moment, and spoke urgently, "Although I can't cook, I'm very good at grilling. Many people have praised my barbecue!"
"Ah?" Tuna was stunned.
His voice was a little loud, and it was very noticeable in the small wooden house, and many people looked at him.
All the courage he had accumulated in the past moment disappeared, and Dasong stood there awkwardly.
Ding Can rolled his eyes inwardly and pulled his sleeve to ask him to sit down with him: "Dasong grew up in the mountains when he was a child, so he speaks a little loudly, please don't mind."
"Yes, yes, yes. When I was little, every time my mother called me to eat, I was in the valley. I had to respond loudly so that she could hear me. Over time, I developed a loud voice. I just wanted to say that if I have the chance, I can grill meat for you guys."
Dasong took advantage of the situation and fortunately the people in the room saw through his little thoughts but had no intention of exposing them. The ambiguous period between boys and girls should be treated with the utmost caution, so as not to delay other people's good fortunes.
Tuna probably noticed the change in atmosphere, so she just lowered her eyes, pursed her lips and said nothing.
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