OBS Chapter 173 Encountering a Hungry Bear at Night
Chapter 173 Encountering a Hungry Bear at Night
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the tiger suddenly made a sharp turn.
The three wolves running in the lead were caught off guard and slid to one side, losing their balance.
The tiger, which had been waiting for a long time, quickly threw aside the prey it was carrying and knocked one of them to the ground with a single swipe of its paw.
The wolf pack was thrown into chaos. When the wolves behind saw their companions being knocked down, they instinctively tried to retreat, but the wolves in front blocked their way.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Li Xiangyang exclaimed. "It was waiting for this moment, deliberately luring the wolves too close. Once it made a sharp turn, the wolves in front would definitely lose their balance."
Anna's camera shutter clicked incessantly: "This is incredible, it completely overturns my understanding of things."
The tiger gave the wolves no chance to catch their breath.
It quickly bit the back of the wolf's neck, then slammed it onto the snow with a flick of its head.
The sound of bones breaking was especially clear in the cold wind.
“Look at its movements,” Wang Ergou said breathlessly, “this is definitely not the first time it’s done this.”
Li Xiangyang nodded: "This is experience; it knows the wolf's weaknesses. Although a wolf pack is large, once it loses its formation, a single wolf is no match for a tiger."
The tiger shook off the dead gray wolf from its mouth, picked up its prey again, and continued running forward.
This time, however, its target was clearer—it deliberately chose to run through areas with complex terrain, making sharp turns from time to time, forcing the wolf pack to scatter.
Whenever a lone wolf gets too close, the tiger will suddenly turn around and attack.
Within minutes, two more wolves fell to its claws.
"Oh my god..." Anna gasped, "It's using wolves as a food reserve."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes. Finding prey isn't easy this time of year. Rather than letting the wolves roam the area, it's better to take this opportunity to stock up on food."
After dealing with the two wolves, the tiger did not immediately enjoy its meal.
It first carefully sniffed the surrounding air to make sure it was safe before it began to dig a hole in the snow.
“It wants to hide its prey,” Wang Ergou said. “Burial in the snow can preserve it for several days.”
The tiger's movements were very practiced, clearly not the first time it had done this.
It first dragged one wolf into a dug snow pit and covered it with snow. Then it began to deal with the second one.
“Have you noticed?” Li Xiangyang suddenly said, “it buried the wolves in different places. Even if one hiding place is discovered, the other can still be preserved.”
As Anna took notes, she exclaimed in amazement, "This is incredible! This is information that's rarely seen..."
The tiger in the distance finally began to enjoy its first prey.
He would occasionally look up and glance around, wary of any potential threats.
A few snowflakes began to fall from the sky; this cold snap in early spring probably won't stop anytime soon.
"Today has truly been an eye-opening experience; one should never underestimate the wisdom of tigers."
Wang Ergou rubbed his hands, which were already red from the cold.
Li Xiangyang glanced at the sky: "It's getting dark; we need to find a place to camp. This snow might continue all night."
As darkness fell, Li Xiangyang led Wang Ergou and Anna to set up camp in a sheltered mountain hollow.
This location is right on the edge of the tiger's range, allowing for observation without unduly disturbing its territory.
"We need to be extra careful tonight," Li Xiangyang said as he set up the tent. "Although there are tigers nearby, wolves are unlikely to get close, but not keeping warm can still be fatal."
"Yes, a sudden cold snap in spring can cause a sharp drop in temperature. If you catch a cold, you're in big trouble," Wang Ergou said, already deftly setting up a makeshift windbreak. "Luckily, the snow isn't too heavy."
After the tent was set up, the three of them sat close together.
Li Xiangyang took out water and dried meat from his backpack and distributed them to everyone.
Xuanmao and Xiaohu guarded the area around the camp with vigilance.
“Today’s discovery is so important to our research, especially its food storage behavior. This proves that Siberian tigers have extremely strong planning abilities,” Anna said excitedly.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Indeed. The animals that survive in this forest are all extraordinary. Especially in this season, a single wrong decision can be fatal."
"Why would a tiger hunt so many at a time like this?" Wang Ergou asked. "Logically, it should already be full."
“Think about it,” Li Xiangyang explained, “it’s the transition from winter to spring now. Large prey are migrating, and small prey are hiding. The chances of finding food are even lower than in winter.”
Anna said thoughtfully, "That explains why it risked fighting the wolves. It was preparing for a possible famine."
The low growl of a tiger could be heard in the distance, sounding particularly clear in the cold wind.
Li Xiangyang turned to Anna and asked, "Anna, how long do you plan to stay in the mountains?"
"If possible, I would like to observe for another three to four days."
Anna rubbed her fingers, which were red from the cold. "The discoveries these past few days have been invaluable, especially the interaction between the tigers and wolves. This is extremely rare firsthand information."
Li Xiangyang nodded, thinking that it would be over in a few more days.
Although he was used to life in the mountains, this kind of work of leading people to observe was indeed much more tiring than hunting.
“However,” Anna hesitated for a moment, “if you feel it’s too dangerous or inconvenient, we can end it early.”
Wang Ergou smiled and said, "Comrade Anna, don't worry. Since we promised to bring you here, we will see it through to the end."
Li Xiangyang chimed in, "Yes, and now that we've found the tiger's territory, the subsequent observations will be much easier."
As night deepened, the snow fell heavier and heavier.
Li Xiangyang noticed that the black cat's ears suddenly perked up, and it looked warily towards the southeast.
"Something's up," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice, while raising his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
In the distance came the crunching sound of snow being trampled, the rhythm very irregular, as if some large animal was moving.
"Could it be that the tiger has returned?" Wang Ergou asked softly.
Li Xiangyang listened carefully for a while, then shook his head: "It doesn't sound like it. The footsteps are too heavy, and the frequency is wrong."
As the sound grew closer, they finally saw what was coming: a huge brown bear.
Its fur still had the tangled look of hibernation, and although its muscles were still strong, it was clear that it had lost a lot of weight in the past few days.
In the cold wind, its breath formed puffs of white mist, appearing particularly rapid.
Anna was about to raise her camera when Li Xiangyang stopped her, saying, "Don't make any rash moves. Bears are most dangerous at this time. They're starving and extremely irritable."
The brown bear wandered aimlessly in the snow, occasionally scratching at the snow with its paws.
Each time it pawed the ground, it did so with a hint of impatience, sending snow flying everywhere as its sharp claws slashed through the air.
Occasionally, I would dig up a few withered grasses, but I would only sniff them briefly before giving up.
Clearly, the sudden cold snap a couple of days ago has plunged it, which had just emerged from hibernation, into another food crisis.
Normally at this time of year, it should be able to find some newly sprouted buds and grass roots, and if it's lucky, it might even catch some small animals that have just awakened.
But this sudden cold wave disrupted the natural rhythm; the thick snow not only buried food on the ground but also forced other animals to continue hibernating.
The bear stopped a short distance away, raised its enormous head, and its nose twitched incessantly.
A hint of madness flickered in its small, dark brown eyes, and its muscles were tense, as if it might explode at any moment.
Hunger and cold were slowly wearing down the patience of this enormous creature.