14 Wilderness Survival
◎She, Ye Zhizhi, is back! ◎
Ye Zhizhi woke up not long after, and the warm and comfortable atmosphere made her fall asleep again quickly. This time she slept very soundly, no longer worrying about not being able to wake up.
The cave was dimly lit, and the entrance dug by the wolf king soon froze over. The cave was large, so the wolves weren't worried about breathing difficulties after a while, especially since they instinctively made a small hole at the entrance for ventilation.
The cave was very quiet at this time, and even the active cubs were very sensible and lay obediently on Ye Zhizhi as a meat blanket.
The other wolves that acted as a meat wall also knelt motionlessly, with their heads resting on another wolf and their eyes closed to rest.
Only the silver wolf, knowing it was time to feed its cubs, would carefully adjust its posture, use its front paws to move the cubs under its belly, with the food bag facing it, and at the same time not forgetting to bring the other cubs over, fearing that she would be cold.
The cub was in a coma for another half a month, but this time, the silver wolf was no longer worried and couldn't close its eyes. It could feel that the cub's breathing was getting steady day by day.
The cub's milk intake is gradually increasing, and its abnormal physical symptoms are subsiding.
All this means is that the cub is getting better and it won't lose its cubs again.
That day, Silver Wolf fed Ye Zhizhi again.
The familiar smell of milk rushed into her nostrils, and she subconsciously opened her mouth, grabbed it, and sucked hard.
The warm milk aroma entered the stomach from the throat, and the little belly slowly swelled up with each breath.
While Ye Zhizhi was sucking milk, her thick and curved eyelashes moved and she slowly opened her eyes.
As if she had had enough sleep, she finally woke up this time. Before her brain started to work, her little hands took the initiative to put on the grain bag and sucked harder.
Ye Zhizhi was indeed still hungry, so she sucked hard, gurgling and drinking until her stomach was bloated and the milk reached her throat. She stopped and looked up at the silver wolf who had been looking down at her.
Ye Zhizhi grinned, her bright eyes curved into beautiful crescents, and she called out "Grandma" for the first time since winter.
"Awoo——" Although it is not full of energy, the tone is clear, milky and sweet, as if it penetrates into the heart.
The silver wolf's golden pupils seemed to be filled with a layer of moisture. It lowered its head, licked the top of the cub's head, and then licked its thin little cheek.
Ye Zhizhi tried hard to raise his head and rub back.
“Woo——”
Silver Wolf responded softly.
"Aoao——" Yin Yi, who was lying beside Ye Zhizhi, was unwilling to be lonely, so he cried out to highlight his presence.
Ye Zhizhi turned his head and rubbed Yin Yi's head, which was trying hard to raise up, and let out a low "ow".
Seeing this, the other cubs also howled.
For a moment, the tranquility of the cave was broken, and the cubs' non-stop calls were heard.
The surrounding wolves looked at the lively cubs with indulgence, their rich expressions as if they were smiling.
Ye Zhizhi's limited energy was quickly exhausted and she fell into a deep sleep soon after. Seeing this, the cubs fell silent.
They all know the fragility of their companions, and under the teachings of the wolf pack, they know how to help their companions. To this end, they suppress their cub nature and act like quiet and motionless cubs.
Of course, they also got something in return. They also shared the fruits brought back by the Wolf King, which were good things that could make them stronger.
Ye Zhizhi didn't know all this.
During the first half of this winter, Ye Zhizhi felt so cold that his soul was trembling, and his whole body was tormented by discomfort. Later, he completely passed out, basically sleeping unconsciously. Unlike the period of illness when he first arrived, he was basically in a daze and often felt very uncomfortable.
This time she could feel her own weakness, but she could also feel that she was slowly getting better.
Ye Zhizhi didn’t know how long she slept this time, but the aftereffects of the severe cold and illness were not as serious as she had imagined.
In the past, every time she woke up, she would feel weak. Even when she felt alert, she could still feel that her body was not in good condition. It was the kind of feeling that looked fine on the surface, but was actually riddled with holes inside.
Ye Zhizhi didn't know how to describe it. It was as if he had taken a panacea. As his body gradually improved, all the negative conditions disappeared.
At this time, Ye Zhizhi couldn't figure it out, so he thought it was because he was kept warm.
If she kept warm, she wouldn't freeze to death. And if she could get through the first illness, she could get through the second.
As for the aftereffects, perhaps it was because her physique was adapting to the environment?
She felt that the fact that she didn't get diarrhea even after drinking cold water at such a young age was because she exercised regularly and her body was adapting to the environment.
She had survived illness, hunger, and cold, and she felt that her physical fitness was beginning to improve.
Ye Zhizhi seemed to be able to hear clearer sounds outside.
When the snow first started falling, she could only hear the whistling of the wind, but now, when she listened carefully, she could not only hear the sound of the falling snow, but also the crackling sound of something breaking outside the cave.
Her hearing seemed to have improved. Of course, it was also possible that she was too busy shivering to pay attention to the outside world at the time, so she noticed the difference.
Ye Zhizhi felt that not much time had passed. She felt that it was not as long as the time she was drowsy when she first arrived, but in fact it was longer. She had slept for two-thirds of the entire winter.
It just so happens that infants and young children sleep more, and she thinks this is just fine. Time passes by in sleep, so she doesn't feel that every day is too long.
Before, when the weather was not cold, I could move around, practice rolling over and kicking my legs in the den, and even lie on Wolf Brother's back to walk around and explore the entire cave. Now I can only lie in the furry den and can't move too much.
Because she had no thick warm clothes and no thick fur like wolves, she needed the wolves to keep her warm all the time.
Since she woke up, she was able to keep warm, eat well and sleep well, and her body recovered quickly.
She has been awake more and more recently, and the days of lying around are boring.
She and the cubs were squeezed in a small space and could not play freely. For the sake of her life, she could only lie down quietly and not catch the cold. What's more, the wolf mother was watching them.
Even Scar, who always liked to provoke the cubs, didn't dare to act rashly at this time.
Perhaps the wolf mother had experienced the feeling of almost losing her many times, so she kept a closer eye on Ye Zhizhi and rarely took her eyes off her. When the cubs were playing in the cuboid form, if she saw any possibility of her being exposed, she would immediately push the cubs over and cover her tightly.
Perhaps he also blamed himself for being careless and not noticing the cub's condition in time, causing the cub to walk on the brink of life and death again.
In order not to make the wolf mother worry too much, Ye Zhizhi lay down obediently. Even though her life was boring, she felt it was very good.
It’s great to be still alive!
As her body became healthier, she stayed awake for longer periods of time. Even if she slept eighteen hours a day, she was still awake for six hours. During this time, she could not move her body except for twisting her body. The farthest she could look was at the ceiling of the cave above.
Her vision became clearer and clearer. Before, everything in the distance was blurry, but now she could even see the shape of the cave ceiling clearly.
Ye Zhizhi even amused herself by wondering why the wolves were able to keep her warm. She thought about it and figured it was similar to the way a crowd of people would raise the ambient temperature and dissipate heat more slowly.
What's more, the hair on each wolf's body is like a thick blanket, and it can automatically maintain a constant temperature.
The wolves were so smart that they knew this way to keep her warm.
Ye Zhizhi tried to look around, and the crowded "flesh wall" formed a circle attracted her attention.
As mentioned before, Ye Zhizhi did not have much contact with adult wolves. When she was carried down by Wolf Brother to play, the wolves were out hunting. This was the first time she had such close contact with a wolf pack.
She matched the names she had given them one by one, and then couldn't help but laugh that she could distinguish each wolf.
but--
Ye Zhizhi's eyes rolled around, and he counted the entire wolf pack again and again, and found that the wolf king was not there.
From beginning to end, Ye Zhizhi never saw the wolf king.
It seemed that the wolf king she saw warming her before she fell asleep was an illusion.
Is it an illusion?
Ye Zhizhi thought uncertainly. The Wolf King knew she wasn't a wolf cub, so how could such a ferocious and terrifying Wolf King come to keep her warm? Impossible, she must have been frozen.
Not knowing where the Wolf King was, Ye Zhizhi inexplicably wanted to take a look. However, her sight was blocked by the wolves, so she could not see the Wolf King lying alone on the slope not far away, nor could she see the hideous wounds on his body.
Unable to see the wolf king, Ye Zhizhi did not continue to worry about it. She continued to observe the wolf pack, and then she found that the wolves' stomachs were not bloated, and they probably had not eaten for many days.
Ye Zhizhi knew how much food the wolf pack had stored. Including the prey from the last trip, if they ate sparingly, the food would be enough to sustain the wolf pack for at least three months.
Now, Ye Zhizhi noticed that the wolves' stomachs had been empty for several days, but they showed no signs of eating.
Ye Zhizhi speculated that the food should have been eaten up, and even if there was some left, there wouldn't be much.
This also means that about three months have passed.
Ye Zhizhi calculated the time she had been awake...she was still able to sleep well.
Having said that, this also means that winter will soon be over!
Thinking of this, Ye Zhizhi couldn't help but feel happy. She knew that as long as winter passed, her chance of survival would be 99%!
And the wolves can quickly solve the food crisis.
She was looking forward to the arrival of spring.
Ye Zhizhi fell asleep with great expectations in her heart, and even had a beautiful dream. However, suddenly there was an earthquake, and the dream was shattered, and she woke up suddenly.
“Ahhhhh——”
What happened? An earthquake?
Ye Zhizhi subconsciously screamed in panic.
Sensing the cub's uneasiness, the silver wolf lowered its head and licked her head to comfort her.
Ye Zhizhi hurriedly opened his eyes and turned his head to look, only to find that it was not an earthquake, but a pack of wolves moving.
Ye Zhizhi and the other cubs lay on the silver wolf, and the wolf aunt who had been serving as a mattress for them stood up and walked out of the wolf circle.
The next moment, another female wolf came in and lay down in the position where Aunt Wolf had just been.
They are making a handover.
And then, the "meat wall" formed by the wolves also changed.
Uncle Scar walked out and the "gap" was instantly blocked.
Ye Zhizhi couldn't guess what they were going out for as her vision was blocked.
But soon, Ye Zhizhi found out.
Scar and the she-wolf, who had been away for a while, came back with pieces of raw meat in their mouths.
The female wolf threw the meat in her mouth in front of the silver wolf. The silver wolf did not move, but lowered its head and ate the meat.
Scar also put the meat in his mouth in front of the other wolves.
They went back and forth several times, bringing back pieces of frozen raw meat, which each wolf ate.
At first, Ye Zhizhi didn’t understand why the wolves didn’t go out, even if it was just to take turns eating. But seeing that the wolves didn’t move, Ye Zhizhi quickly understood the meaning of their behavior.
They were to keep her warm.
The wolves did this while Ye Zhizhi was asleep.
They know that frequent movement will bring cold wind, and frequent going out will bring cold. They are afraid that the coldness on their bodies will bring it to the fragile cubs, so the wolf pack divides the work and cooperates with each other. Most of the wolves stay by the side and are responsible for keeping the cubs warm. A few wolves are sent out to deliver food to them, trying to reduce the possibility of them leaving the stone nest frequently and bringing in cold air.
As for how the work is divided, it cannot be said that the wolves are completely inseparable. They also need to solve physiological problems, so when it is time to eat, it depends on which wolf needs to come out to solve the physiological problem.
It was precisely because of the wolf pack's caution that Ye Zhizhi successfully survived this cold winter.
Ye Zhizhi saw it after just a moment's observation. Her eyes flushed and her nose felt sour. How could the wolf pack be so kind? They had sacrificed so much for her cub!
Then Ye Zhizhi noticed that each wolf had only eaten less than three pounds of meat. This amount of meat was not enough to feed even a cub, let alone an adult wolf. It was obvious that their food was already very scarce, and this might be their last meal.
Sure enough, after delivering the meat, Uncle Scar and Aunt Wolf did not come back to serve as a wall, but prepared to leave the cave.
Ye Zhizhi heard the sound of wolves chiseling the ice at the entrance of the cave. When she couldn't see it, the wolf king took two wolves out.
The wolf king had been recuperating from his injuries for more than two months, and the scars on his body had all scabbed over, no longer affecting his participation in hunting.
After a hole was made at the entrance of the cave, Ye Zhizhi could hear the movements outside more clearly.
The wind outside had died down, and the sound of snow had ceased. It was very quiet.
Winter is really almost over.
However, Ye Zhizhi will face another challenge.
When the snow melts, the temperature will drop again.
Ye Zhizhi was very confident about this. She had persevered through all the difficulties before, so why would she be afraid of a slight drop in temperature?
Sure enough, as the wolves went out more and more frequently, and as more and more wolves left his side, the meat wall formed by the outermost adult wolves had disbanded, Ye Zhizhi no longer felt cold, and the climate continued to warm up.
Although there were still seven or eight wolves around her at this moment, with three old wolves, four cubs and the wolf mother still huddled beside her, she couldn't help but howl with excitement.
She, Ye Zhizhi, is back!
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