72 Wilderness Survival
◎In the dark and silent forest, a giant python suddenly stood upright.◎
When Ye Zhizhi realized that the rainy season was about to come, he was extremely devastated.
Ye Zhizhi always thought that he had plenty of time, and he even thought about feeding Xiaohua one more time a few days later. At most, he would just rush on the road...but he didn't expect that time would pass so quickly without him noticing.
Two days ago, Yinyi tried to secretly carry her away in the middle of the night and leave the jungle. She scolded Yinyi, thinking that he wanted to leave secretly because he didn't want her to have any contact with Xiaohua. Xiaohua hasn't forgiven her yet!
But she didn't expect that she had miscalculated the time.
Ye Zhizhi thought about it and decided that she must have lost track of time in Xiaohua's nest and had underestimated the time. Also, the days in the mountains were both fast and slow, so it was possible that she had missed some time.
Judging from the weather, it will rain within seven days.
In such a short time, let alone returning to the wolf's den, they could only barely return to their first temporary mountain den.
The nearby tree hole den was not enough for them to survive the rainy season. The terrain was too shallow and the tree hole was too small to fit all the wolves in, and they had not prepared enough food.
There are only about ten days between the rainy season and winter, which is not enough time for them to return to the wolf den.
This means that they will have to spend both seasons of this year outside, which is not good news.
They must find a nest that will not only allow them to survive the rainy season and winter safely, but also store enough prey.
No wonder the wild animals in the jungle have been coming out to hunt more frequently recently. It turns out everyone is preparing for the coming rainy season, while she and the wolves are the only ones who are still sitting there clueless...
As expected, they were all young wolves. Even though they knew the rainy season was coming soon, they didn't look afraid at all.
Ye Zhizhi looked at this group of young wolves. She didn't believe that they couldn't sense that the rainy season was coming soon. They had much more experience and intuition than her, but none of the wolves seemed to be anxious.
Ye Zhizhi looked at the wolves that looked back at him innocently. Silver Gray tilted his head cutely and blinked his wolf eyes.
She turned her eyes away expressionlessly. It seemed that all the wolves were counting on her, right?
What else could she do? She could only worry bitterly.
The tree holes couldn't hold their prey, so the wolves had been eating what they hunted, leaving the rest to other beasts. Now, prey was secondary; they had to find caves first. Otherwise, even the most furry animals would be at risk of hypothermia if exposed to heavy rain for extended periods under extreme weather conditions.
They had wandered around the jungle and had discovered other caves before, but the larger caves were generally inhabited by groups of wild beasts. Compared with the wolf pack, she was outnumbered and had no chance of seizing other people's caves.
What's more, even if she could win, Ye Zhizhi privately didn't want to rob other animals' caves. She still remembered how helpless they were when their territory was taken away unexpectedly. Even if Ye Zhizhi became strong, she didn't want to do the animal behaviors that she once hated. After all, she still had the moral bottom line of a human being.
Ye Zhizhi prefers to look for an unowned cave, but all the places in the jungle suitable for nesting have been occupied by wild beasts, and the places they don't like are generally not in a good location and are very small. In comparison, their tree hole nest is actually good.
Ye Zhizhi didn't need Yin Yi's urging at this moment, and hurriedly called the wolves to leave the jungle.
She wanted to say goodbye to Xiaohua, but Xiaohua refused to appear before her. After Ye Zhizhi released another prey at the entrance, he hissed a few more times, but there was no way to confirm whether Xiaohua heard it. So he packed up the things in the tree hole and hurried away with the wolves.
They had to return to the temporary cave. Although it was still small, it was large enough to accommodate the wolves, and its location on higher ground would allow them to safely survive the rainy season.
That's the most suitable place for them.
And after returning to the cave, they still had to hunt some prey and store food.
When Yin saw that the wolf sister was finally willing to leave the jungle, he ran as fast as he could without hesitation, carrying the wolf sister on his back and running away with the wolf pack like a gust of wind.
At this point, Xiaohua didn't know the cubs had already left. The next day, after finishing another meal, she crawled outside the tunnel entrance and found it empty. Her first reaction was that another beast had snatched the prey before her!
Xiaohua sniffed around unhappily, wondering who was so blind as to steal her prey?
However, no signs of other ferocious beasts were detected.
Xiaohua hissed and probed the surroundings for a moment, and found that the cub's breath had also become much weaker, so she did not come over today.
The cubs no longer brought it prey.
Xiaohua's head, which was held high, fell to the ground in an instant, and the whole snake was motionless, exuding melancholy.
Half a day later, the little flower on the ground began to move and slowly crawled into the forest.
It, she doesn't really care.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t send it to her, she can go hunting by herself.
Xiaohua rushed into the jungle angrily.
Ye Zhizhi didn't know that after she left, Xiaohua wandered around the jungle under the pretext of hunting, but never met her.
She and the wolf pack quickly left the jungle. The experiences of the past few months were thrilling for both wolves and humans. Through repeated escapes and chases, their physical fitness had made a qualitative leap.
Yin Yi and the others have been well-maintained during this period. Their energy and spirit are at their peak, their bodies are stronger, and they have grown a lot bigger.
They all became more powerful, and each wolf exuded an aura of being not to be trifled with, so no ferocious beasts suddenly jumped out to attack along the way. Some of the auras were even stronger, so they avoided them from afar.
Of course, if they find prey that is easier to catch on the way, they will stop temporarily to fill their stomachs.
Although they were very fast, it still took them four or five days to return to the temporary cave.
The clouds were now thicker and darker, and the air was becoming more stuffy and steamy.
They only managed to catch two prey in the nearby jungle when they were about to return to the cave, and dragged them back to the den. Most of the time, it wasn't that they couldn't hunt, but that the cave couldn't hold them all.
They had been gone for so long that the smell they left behind was gone. Other animals must have lived in the cave later, as they could still smell the lingering scent, but they left later. I don't know if they found another nest or were eaten.
The cave was destroyed. All the fruits that Ye Zhizhi had collected and dried had been eaten, and the herbs left in the cave were gone too.
However, Ye Zhizhi's important things are still here, her animal skin clothes, and a small pile of dry firewood that she brought with great difficulty for making fire.
Even so, she still didn't have any more firewood, and she only had two complete sets of animal skin clothing and an animal skin cloak and blanket. After realizing that she would have to spend the winter in this jungle, these warm clothes became particularly important, and could be said to be her life.
Of course, the most important thing now is to get some dried meat for himself. Ye Zhizhi hasn't eaten meat for a long time, and now his eyes turn green when he sees meat.
Maybe it was because she was stronger, but Ye Zhizhi could now drill wood and make fire faster, and sparks appeared soon. However, the firewood she had been drying behind her was probably not completely dry yet, so when she put it in the fire, thick smoke came out after a while, instantly smoking out the wolves.
Ye Zhizhi's nose was also very sensitive, and he was choked badly, but he still held his breath and stubbornly put all the meat to be roasted, stewed and cooked before he ran out.
When she came out of the smoky cave, she had also turned into a gray cub.
Ye Zhizhi rubbed her face, which was already covered with dust and became even dirtier. Yin Yi licked her face with a look of disgust. There was always a strange smell on the wolf girl.
The cave was so big and full of smoke that it was impossible for any wild beast to rush in and take away their prey.
Ye Zhizhi and the wolf pack simply went to hunt prey nearby.
On the way back to the cave, it was still daytime, but it was darker than night, and the trees in the forest made loud noises.
The wind is blowing.
Ye Zhizhi sat on Yin Xiaohui's back, Yin Yi was dragging a prey, and the five wolves were running madly towards the cave.
Soon there began to be thunder and lightning, shaking the earth and covering the sky.
Animals are naturally uneasy in such an environment, and it is also dangerous. Except for Silver Little Gray, all the humans and wolves have experienced running in the mountains and forests in such extreme weather before, and they were able to remain calm.
But this was Silver Gray's first time experiencing such a scene. His ears stood straight up, his tail stretched straight, and he couldn't control his fear instinct. His whole body was so tense that his hair almost stood on end. Ye Zhizhi lay on his back, comforting him from time to time.
They finally rushed into the cave as big raindrops fell.
At this time, the smoke in the cave had dissipated a lot, and only the huge fire was still emitting residual smoke.
The wolves kept sniffing, obviously still not used to the smell of smoke in the cave.
Ye Zhizhi checked the condition of his meat. Whether it was cooked in a nut shell, simmered in a fire, or roasted by the fire, it was full of the aroma of smoke and fire. How could Ye Zhizhi dislike it? This was all meat!
No matter how bad it tastes, it's still better than plants! Besides, she'd smeared the meat with salty leaf juice beforehand, so even if it tasted smoky, it was still incredibly delicious!
Ye Zhizhi buried her head in eating, and the wolves looked at her with admiration. Their wolf sister was a fierce wolf!
Ye Zhizhi ate until her belly was swollen, and then she burped with satisfaction. It was the last time she felt full in all these days.
It was raining heavily outside and thick water vapor could be smelled in the cave.
The wolves were lying together in a huddle. Ye Zhizhi climbed up and lay on Yin Yi's body, sniffing his scent.
The dark cave was occasionally illuminated by lightning, and Ye Zhizhi looked at the not-so-high cave ceiling with worry.
What should I do?
There wasn't enough food, and the place was no protection from the cold. Even if she could make it through the rainy season, there was no guarantee she could survive the cold winter.
There are only ten days left before winter after the rainy season, unless they travel during the rainy season, which would be tantamount to seeking death.
Although most wild animals will not come out during this period, it does not mean that the jungle is not dangerous.
The threat from nature was even more terrifying, something neither humans nor animals could resist. Moreover, they would have to pass through the swamp on their way back.
Heavy rain is not a hindrance to predators deep in the swamp, but rather the best cover.
Ye Zhizhi was not sure if they could get through safely.
It seemed that no matter which choice she made, there would be plenty of danger and threats. Furthermore, the wolf could safely survive the winter here by staying indoors and staying put. Ultimately, the only threat to her survival was her.
This way, she couldn't let the wolves follow her into unnecessary adventures.
I can only hope that these animal skins and animal skin clothes can be more powerful...
Ye Zhizhi thought of Xiaohua again. She must be angry again because she didn't send any more prey over.
It's raining heavily now. It must be in the hot spring lake in Chaoxue, soaking in it and sulking, right?
When Ye Zhizhi thought of that scene, he felt that Xiaohua looked so cute when she was angry.
Just thinking about the slim chance of meeting Xiaohua in the future, she unconsciously pursed the corners of her lips.
Life in the cave was monotonous.
The wolves were basically resting with their eyes closed, and Ye Zhizhi also slept for a whole day and two nights, making up for all the sleep he had missed during this period.
She couldn't lie down anymore and she was extremely energetic, so she looked for something to do in this small cave.
She was sorting her things, and the animal skin was a little damp, but it felt much better after being exposed to the smoke in the cave for a while.
Ye Zhizhi grilled nearly two hundred kilograms of meat. Some of it was not fully cooked, but in such an environment, there was nothing to complain about. She could eat the half-cooked meat without batting an eyelid.
She wrapped the food in furs, tied two sets of winter clothes with vines, and piled them together with the animal skin quilt in the corner to save space.
For some reason, Ye Zhizhi felt very uneasy. Her heartbeat was a little irregular, and she always felt as if something was about to happen.
But outside there was thunder and lightning and heavy rain.
She seemed to hear Xiaohua's voice.
This is impossible. Could Xiaohua have chased me? But it's raining so hard outside...
Ye Zhizhi was more inclined to believe that it was an illusion. Perhaps she missed Xiaohua so much that she mistook the sound of rain outside for Xiaohua's hissing sound.
While thinking this in his mind, Ye Zhizhi looked towards the cave entrance several times.
I don’t know if it was because of Ye Zhizhi’s anxiety, but the wolves were unusually not lying down. Instead, they stood up with their ears erect, listening to the movement outside.
Ye Zhizhi couldn't help but walk to the entrance of the cave.
The cold raindrops hit her face and landed on her body, soaking Ye Zhizhi instantly. She did not turn back, but narrowed her eyes slightly.
There were no trees near the cave, but her vision was limited. The rain was so heavy that the nearby forests appeared dark, even darker than the gloomy sky.
A bolt of lightning, powerful enough to illuminate half the forest, struck. Ye Zhizhi saw a giant python suddenly standing upright in the dark, silent forest in the heavy rain not far away.
Ye Zhizhi's breath hitched, and he stared blankly at the forest which was getting darker.
Xiao, Xiaohua? !
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