frightfiction Chapter 42: Chasing the Dog, Only Big Tiger Didn't Bark
Chapter 42: Chasing the Dog, Only Big Tiger Didn't Bark
Big Tiger, as the lead dog, is leading a pack of dogs to continue searching for the remaining 5 wild boars.
Three yellow-haired piglets and two sows.
Wild Boar Forest, a sunny mountain valley, is home to many oak, red pine, hazelnut, and other seed-producing trees.
The hunters sat on the sheltered, sunny side, where the temperature was much higher than on the hillside. While the hunting dogs were still at their destination, a group of hunters rested on the spot, checking on the injuries of the second son of the Qian family while chatting.
Sun Weimin, seeing Li Ju'an gain favor, was filled with resentment and began to boast, embellishing his past experiences of encountering a mountain bandit.
"I didn't have a gun when I ran into the pig farmer, and nothing happened to me. I just shouted and prayed: 'Mountain God, please leave! I have always respected you,' and the pig farmer turned around and ran away. Isn't that amazing?"
In the Greater Khingan Mountains, the Siberian tiger is called "pig herder." In Northeast China, wild boars often migrate eastward, and the Siberian tiger follows behind, seemingly herding a herd of pigs, hence the name "pig herder." Interestingly, the "pig herder" only eats strong, healthy boars as a last resort, avoiding the head pig, sows, and piglets.
Therefore, locals discovered that Siberian tigers "eat one thing and don't eat three things".
Li Guaizi laughed heartily, grinning with his back teeth showing: "It's not the mountain god protecting you. Tigers can climb trees, so calling on the mountain god is the right thing to do. The tiger is suspicious; it doesn't know who you're greeting."
Siberian tigers are known for their ability to eat three animals at once but not others. They are also very suspicious, fearing that hunters may have accomplices. They are also aware of the terrifying power of hunting rifles, so they will not easily attack humans.
Sun Weimin had intended to boast and outshine Li Ju'an, but Li Ju'an exposed him, so he could only continue boasting with a long face.
"Is there anyone here who dares to say that the gun has never exploded? Do you dare to say that?"
Old Zhang from the security department's expression changed.
His single-barreled shotgun had exploded twice. Those two times terrified him, nearly costing him his life. From then on, he would inspect the gun before each trip, pulling the bolt a few times to prevent the inside from getting too cold before loading it to ensure it wouldn't explode.
Li Guaizi's expression also changed drastically.
Oh no! When he went hunting wild boar in the mountains years ago, the gun barrel really did explode, with a sound like thunder! Fortunately, the gun was blocked after firing that time, so the bullet didn't explode on him, but only knocked him unconscious.
Even just being stunned was enough to terrify him. Fortunately, his six hunting dogs protected him, and after he was stunned, they fought the wild boar relentlessly, otherwise he really would have died in the wild boar forest.
It was on that occasion that three of his six hunting dogs were killed by wild boar tusks, leaving him with a deep psychological trauma.
For hunters, the hunting dogs that follow them into the mountains are closer than family, a bond forged in life-or-death situations. The death of a hunting dog, especially a gruesome one, is the most painful shadow in a hunter's heart.
Sun Weimin was smug and wanted to continue bragging, but Li Ju'an shut him up with a single sentence.
Li Ju'an raised an eyebrow. "Old man, you're always bragging. If anything happens to you, it'll be because of your mouth."
They say what you fear most is what happens; he even boasted about something as sensitive as a gun exploding.
Sun Weimin's expression hardened, and he realized that something was very wrong. He quickly lowered his head and said "Pah, pah, pah," praying for the protection of the mountain god.
His face was grim. He had originally intended to boast and steal the limelight from Li Ju'an. Unexpectedly, he ended up being lectured by Li Ju'an, and he hadn't even had a chance to retaliate.
Sun Weimin's mood became even more depressed.
Suddenly, a long, low howl came from afar.
All the hunters' expressions changed and they stood up, thinking to themselves: Wild wolves.
Even Li Guaizi, who was usually the most unruly, put down his liquor to moisten his throat and listened carefully.
There are wolves, but how many are there?
In the Greater Khingan Mountains, wolf packs are extremely rare. It's not that two wolves constitute a pack, but rather that a group of five or more is considered a wolf pack by the locals. If three wolves are walking together, it's not considered a pack.
Bloodthirsty wolves are close relatives of hunting dogs, and if a lone hunter encounters a pack of wolves head-on, he'll be in big trouble.
Wolves employ a "pack tactic" of first surrounding their prey and then taking turns attacking. Conversely, domesticated dogs, whose wolf genes have been reactivated, are just as ferocious as wild wolves in their ability to attack prey.
If a lone hunter encounters a pack of wolves head-on, it's truly uncertain who will be the hunter and who will be the prey.
Fortunately, Li Ju'an was traveling with more than 20 hunters, so he was not worried at all.
Li Guaizi put down the liquor, his face serious, but his tone remained serious, tinged with teasing: "Old Qian, Old Wolf is after you."
He was referring to the wolf-skin hat worn by Old Qian's youngest son. The hat was made from the skin of a young wolf.
If, by sheer coincidence, they were to run into an old enemy, wolves possess remarkable memories. The wolf king knows perfectly well who killed the mother wolf and who killed the cubs. If Old Qian continues to hunt in the mountains with the hunting party, there's no guarantee that no unexpected event might occur.
"Old Qian, your second son is injured. You should take him to the clinic to get him checked out so you can be at ease."
“Yes, take the shortcut down the mountain and have Lao Zhang and Lao Tao escort you down the old pilgrimage route.”
"We need to be careful with this wolfskin hat. Better safe than sorry."
The hunters were filled with apprehension; if their hunt were to be met with retaliation from the wolf pack, it would be a very bad situation.
Old Qin, the cannon wielder, frowned.
"Old Qian, take the two children down the mountain."
Old Qian wasn't afraid of any of that. He was a skilled marksman in his younger days. He was known for his accurate shooting and quick draw, and was famous for his expertise in hunting wolf cubs, killing quite a few of them.
As Lao Qian would say: There are plenty of Zhang Sans watching me, why should I be afraid of a bunch more?
"If you're afraid of dying, don't go into the mountains! The second son is fine, why would he go down the mountain?"
Old Qian had lost a white dog and was seething with resentment. He was burning with anger and wanted to chop someone up until he wiped out the whole pack of wild boars.
The hunters didn't like hunting with Lao Qian, but now that Lao Qian had gotten into the hunting team through connections, Lao Qin didn't say much.
Seeing that Qian's second son was indeed alright, Lao Qin counted the number of people and looked at the still early sky. Just then, the hunting dogs barked in the distance.
The barking of a hunting dog means a new discovery has been made.
The lead dog, Big Tiger, led a pack of dogs to scout ahead in search of the lost wild boar herd, but the chaotic barking of the dogs filled all the hunters with unease.
Li Guaizi asked in surprise, "Our Erhei doesn't usually call out like that. Why does it sound so loud and boisterous?"
The barking of a large pack of dogs is usually well-trained; they use loud barking to signal the hunter's location after tracking down prey.
The hunting dogs held their prey back, waiting for the hunter to arrive so they could finish it off with a single shot.
If they encountered a difficult prey, they would use a hunting rod to herd the prey to the designated spot, where a hunter with a gun would finish it off with a single shot.
But now, the barking of the dogs sounds very excited, as if they are cheering them on.
Even Qin Pao found it strange. He listened for a moment and looked at Li Ju'an with suspicion.
"Only Big Tiger remained silent?"