Chapter 386: Chapter 290: Good Luck
Suddenly, Lao Liu let out a low, whining growl, his voice filled with excitement as his paws continuously dug at the snow.
Hearing this, Feng Mountain hurried over and squatted down beside Lao Liu.
He followed Lao Liu’s gaze to the spot the wolf was pawing at. It was covered in snow. Feng Mountain reached out and gently brushed away the thick layer, revealing two large tracks underneath.
The tracks in the snow were cloven, and following the two large prints were two relatively smaller ones.
Seeing these tracks, Feng Mountain thought to himself, ’They must have been left by some kind of deer.’
’Here in the Far North Tundra, the only deer-like animals are reindeer and moose. Reindeer have smaller hooves, so these tracks obviously aren’t from a reindeer. That means they must belong to a moose.’
He took a closer look at the tracks. They were still quite fresh.
This meant a moose had passed by not long ago and probably hadn’t gone far.
’Moose for Christmas dinner,’ he mused. ’That’s a pretty good ingredient.’
With that in mind, Feng Mountain patted Lao Liu’s head and pointed to the moose tracks in the snow. "See if you can find it."
Lao Liu immediately lowered his head, pressing his nose to the tracks and sniffing intently at the moose’s lingering scent.
Then, he raised his head high, allowing his nose to fully take in the faint traces of scent remaining in the air, as if he were tracking the moose by smell alone.
A moment later, as if he had truly found the trail, Lao Liu perked up and took off, running deep into the forest.
He was quite fast, his four legs sprinting through the snow and kicking up flurries in his wake.
The other White Wolf saw this and followed close behind, both of them running in the same direction. In the blink of an eye, they had covered a good distance.
Feng Mountain watched their retreating figures with a helpless smile. He had no choice but to slowly follow on his snowshoes, one step at a time, heading deeper into the forest.
Soon, Lao Liu’s loud howl echoed from ahead. The sound reverberated through the silent forest, as if telling Feng Mountain that he had successfully found the moose.
Feng Mountain quickened his pace. By the time he finally caught up, a tall and majestic figure had appeared in his line of sight.
A massive moose with a magnificent build was standing in a relatively open clearing in the woods.
Its enormous, shovel-like antlers were pointed at the eager Lao Liu, as if warning the wolf not to get any closer.
Judging by its size, the moose was truly immense, weighing at least a thousand pounds. Its massive body was like a small hill in the snow, giving off an incredibly intimidating presence.
Feng Mountain’s eyes lit up instantly. He quickly raised the Type 56 carbine in his hands, pressed the stock to his shoulder, and squinted one eye, locking onto the moose through the sights.
His finger rested lightly on the trigger. In that instant, time seemed to freeze. The surroundings were so quiet he could only hear his own breathing.
BANG! A loud crack shattered the forest’s silence. The muzzle flash was a fleeting flicker in the snow-filled wind as the bullet shot toward the moose like an arrow loosed from a bow.
When hunting large animals like moose, you should know that targeting the vital areas—the heart and lungs—is the quickest way to bring the prey down.
This not only reduces the animal’s suffering but also prevents it from struggling and escaping after being wounded, which could cause unnecessary trouble.
And Feng Mountain’s shot, with its impeccable aim, struck the moose directly in the heart.
The moose let out a mournful cry.
Its massive body began to stagger as if it had lost all support. After just a few steps, it collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking up a spray of snow.
Seeing the moose fall, Lao Liu instinctively moved to pounce, but before he could take a step, Feng Mountain stopped him with a sharp rebuke.
During a hunt, the most dangerous moment is often right after the prey has fallen.
Many hunters let their guard down at this point.
But they fail to realize that even a dying large animal might muster its last ounce of strength for a final counterattack.
So, Feng Mountain walked up behind the moose. He reached out with his rifle and gently prodded it from behind, carefully poking its eye a few times with the barrel.
After testing it like this a few times and seeing absolutely no reaction, he confirmed that the moose was completely dead. Only then did Feng Mountain breathe a sigh of relief and walk around to its front.
The moose’s massive body was still trembling slightly. Warm breath exhaled slowly from its nostrils, instantly condensing into white puffs of mist in the cold air.
The mist slowly rose and then gradually dissipated in the wind, as if bearing witness to the last vestiges of the moose’s life fading away.
Feng Mountain slowly squatted down and placed a hand gently on the moose’s head, his expression solemn.
He softly said, "Thank you."
These two simple words were a sign of respect for the moose that had given its life, as well as an expression of gratitude for nature’s gift.
He then took out his Hunting Knife and made an incision across the moose’s neck.
Moose blood slowly flowed out from the cut, the crimson liquid stark against the white snow.
Feng Mountain waved Lao Liu over, signaling that he could come drink the blood. Nothing should be wasted; out in the wild, anything that could replenish energy was precious.
Seeing Feng Mountain’s signal, Lao Liu immediately walked forward.
He brought his mouth to the incision and began to lap up the fresh blood with his tongue. After drinking for a while, Lao Liu thoughtfully stepped back, making way for the other White Wolf so it could also drink some of the moose blood and regain its strength.
Comments