The black bear was the top carnivore in the mahogany forest. Neither coyotes nor mountain lions were a match for the black bear. The only ones who could compete with the black bear were the wolves, which were now very rare.
Black bears liked to be clean and would not excrete in their nests. They always kept their nests clean and looked like a cradle. But even so, they could not fool the sense of smell of other animals and the shrewd hunters.
The herd of red deers might have noticed the black bear’s presence nearby, but it was already dark and their night vision was poor. Moreover, this place was close to a stream. After eating salt during the day, they were thirsty for water, so they decided to risk it and spend the night here.
Zhang Zian had the same consideration. The black bear had been away for a day or two, and he might not come back tonight. His tent had been set up, and it was not a good idea to run away in the dark. He would make it through the night and leave the place tomorrow.
However, they had to be on guard tonight.
The North American black bear was the largest black bear. It was much larger than the Asian black bear that was commonly seen in many urban zoos in China. It was also more aggressive, unlike the mature and lazy black bears in the zoo.
A wild black bear’s paw would tear the skin and flesh of humans, dogs, and red deers, and they would lose their ability to resist. The bear’s teeth, on the other hand, had a huge bite force that could easily bite off a person’s arms and legs.
Zhang Zian reminded the Elfins again and again that once the black bear appeared, don’t go up and fight it head-on. The black bear had thick skin, and a few scratches and bites were just tickles, but if you were bitten or patted by it, you would lose at least half of your life.
Famous felt the same way. It had fought side by side with old time tea in the barren mountains in the dream world, protecting the traveling merchants from the threat of wolves and driving the wolves deep into the mountains. But this was because the wolves were very smart. When they thought the losses of the battle were more than the gains, they would wisely choose to retreat. Bears, however, were different. Once they were injured, their wildness would be stimulated instead, and they would rush forward with no regard for their lives, just like boorish men with muscles in their brains.
After that, he boiled water, cooked, and rested. He did what he had to do, but he had to look up at the dark forest from time to time.
Famous volunteered to sleep outside the tent. It was responsible for guarding the bonfire. If the bonfire showed signs of extinguishing, it would wake Zhang Zian up to add firewood or combustion-enhancing agents.
This was destined to be a sleepless night. Even when he got into the sleeping bag and lay down, Zhang Zian’s eyes were still open. If he turned over and lay on his side, he would see several other pairs of bright eyes blinking.
Even Richard, who was blind, did not dare to close his eyes. He was like a blind man who knew that danger was imminent but could only leave his fate to fate. Zhang Zian only hoped that he would not be scared to the point of peeing and shitting at the sound of wind and grass.
Just like that, they survived the first half of the night. Zhang Zian, who was sleeping with his clothes on, got up in the middle to add more firewood. It was wet and cold outside the tent, and there was fog. Famous was fine by the fire.
The herd of red deers stopped on the grass by the stream, either standing or lying down. The young deers were sleeping with their legs crossed under their stomachs, but the leading male deer was just standing and pretending to sleep. When he heard the movement, he opened his eyes and looked in Zhang Zian’s direction.
On the branch above their heads, the spotted owl was scanning the surroundings with its large, Searchlight-like eyes.
He continued to return to the tent after adding firewood.
In the second half of the night, he thought he would be awake for the whole night, but his eyelids started to fight. Firstly, it was because of the fatigue during the day, and secondly, because he unconsciously relaxed his mood. Subconsciously, he thought that it was not far from dawn, and a few hours passed in a flash.
He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but he was suddenly awakened by a loud roar. It was famous. It was close to him, trying to warn him.
His body instinctively wanted to jump up, but the sleeping bag restricted his movement, and he could only sit up halfway.
The elves in the tent were all awake. Pi squeaked and shrank into the corner, and Richard screamed and flew around. It was a mess.
He didn’t have time to get out of the sleeping bag. He zipped up the tent first and asked fina, old time tea, and Vladimir to leave the tent first. He couldn’t let the bear block his nest.
When they rushed out of the tent, he rolled and crawled out of his sleeping bag.
The bonfire was already very weak before dawn. Famous kept barking in the direction of the deer herd.
The herd of deers was also calling out. The male deers ‘calls were loud and clear, while the female deers’ calls were sharp. Shadows could be seen on the grass, and all the deers were running around in the dark.
Zhang Zian turned on his tactical flashlight, and a bright and highly concentrated beam of light cut through the darkness, shining straight into the woods, locking onto a huge dark figure.
As expected, it was an adult male black bear. It weighed nearly 400 pounds and was an out-and-out forest killer.
The black bear was breathing white air. Taking advantage of the deer’s poor vision at night, it attacked from the Leeward side, its roar shaking the sky.
Although the black bear was huge, it was not slow at all. No matter if it encountered thorns or branches blocking the way, it would rush through them. On the other hand, the deer herd panicked in the dark and did not know where to go. The black bear rushed towards the direction where the forest was denser, which was the direction of the tent. The denser the forest was, the more difficult it was for the deer to escape.
In particular, the leading buck, in order to protect the mother and the young deers, shook the branch-like antlers on its head and bravely stayed to confront the black bear. If the opponent was a lone coyote, Wolf, or cougar, it would have the strength to fight, and even winning was not impossible. But the opponent was a male adult black bear, and its resistance was like a Mantis trying to stop a car.
“Quickly Dodge! Hide behind the tree!” Zhang Zian shouted.
He wasn’t shouting at the buck, since the buck couldn’t understand him. He was shouting at the elves, because the frightened deer were running towards the tent. If they were hit by a female or young deer, they would at least get a fracture, or they might be knocked unconscious and trampled. If he had been hit by a young deer with long horns … He would have been cut open on the spot.
After shouting, he led by example and sneaked behind the nearest tree. He used the trunk to block his body, and pulled Pi and Richard along.
The other Elfins reacted faster and moved more agilely. They understood the danger they were about to face and hid behind the trees or jumped up to avoid the wave of deer.
The running deer stomped on the bonfire and kicked over the tent. Fortunately, they didn’t step on the backpack, or the drone would be scrapped.
After the herd of deer passed through, Zhang Zian poked his head out from behind the tree and looked in the direction of the black bear.
The leading buck covered the herd and successfully escaped. It knew that it was no match for the black bear and would die if it continued to drag on, so it turned around and ran in this direction.
Since the bonfire had been stepped out, the only light in the woods was the beam of Zhang Zian’s flashlight.
The buck had just run a few steps when it heard a crack. Its tall antlers were entangled with the low branches.
With a sad cry, it fell on its back.
