I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Zhao Wendong approached the small log cabin and found it was locked. The lock was new. He leaned on the wooden wall, peering inside through a vent above. He could see some old quilts from their house spread out on the floor. ’No doubt about it,’ he thought, ’this is Zhao Wenjun’s handiwork.’

’They must be using this as another outpost. A pretty good idea, actually.’ Zhao Wendong’s mind immediately went to the hot spring pool inside. ’They could even build a fence to partition it. Wouldn’t that make a perfect natural bathtub?’ Having a place to bathe like this during winter in this day and age would be absolutely amazing.

An eagle’s cry echoed from the sky, and Xiaojin swooped down, landing on Zhao Wendong’s shoulder. Zhao Wendong breathed a sigh of relief. ’A Golden Roc that doesn’t get lost is a good Golden Roc. I was really worried Xiaojin would fly off and disappear.’

’The dogs and wolves are fighting.’

Zhao Wendong had only a moment to feel happy about Xiaojin’s successful return before his heart seized at the Golden Roc’s telepathic message.

’What the hell?’

’The dogs and wolves are fighting?’

’Isn’t he talking about General and the others?’

Zhao Wendong quickly took his Type 56 carbine in hand and flipped off the safety. He patted Xiaojin’s head, then launched it back into the sky with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Go, Xiaojin! Lead the way."

Xiaojin circled a few times overhead before flying off in a specific direction. On the ground, Zhao Wendong followed with his rifle at the ready.

In a small, snowy hollow about one thousand meters from the hot spring, an adult male maral deer over three meters long lay silently in a pool of its own blood. The surrounding snow was stained red, forming a large crater. This adult male was broader and more robust than a plow ox, with a high hump on its shoulders and a thick neck—a true behemoth of the forest.

Most eye-catching were its antlers. The main beams were thick, their tips worn dull and solid—scars from years of scraping against trees and fighting rivals. Any enemy gored by those antlers would be either killed or grievously wounded, but now, the great beast was already dead and cold.

Four people surrounded the maral deer’s corpse, each nervously aiming their rifles in all directions. Beside them, three hunting dogs—one yellow and two black—barked fiercely at their surroundings. It was Zhao Wenjun’s party: four people and three dogs.

"Son of a bitch! We finally bag a huge prize, only to run into this pack of bastards!"

Zhao Wenjun kept his rifle aimed at the woods, cursing under his breath.

They had been roaming the mountains for days and finally came across some big game: a few foraging maral deer. They managed to take down the largest one, but just as they did, a warning from General and the dogs alerted them—they were surrounded by a pack of wild wolves.

"At least twenty of them. It’s a big pack. These bastards want to steal our deer."

Jin Xiuying, however, was quite calm. Her Type 38 rifle remained steady, aimed at the fleeting shadows in the trees as she reported her observation.

In the surrounding forest, grayish-black wolves constantly shifted through the trees. Their steps were light, making no sound on the snow. Their backs were taut, tails hanging low. They didn’t howl or charge, but simply circled, constantly probing, yet never launching an attack.

The wolves weren’t bunched up. They had fanned out into a circle, completely enclosing the four people, three dogs, and the deer. The circle wasn’t large, maybe thirty to forty meters in diameter. The wolves moved in concert—one advancing as another retreated, like a well-trained army. Their cold, bloodthirsty eyes were fixed on Zhao Wenjun’s group, unblinking.

"Let’s get ’em! Kill them!"

Zhao Wenwu roared in excitement, itching to charge forward, showing no awareness that he was the prey.

"No, Second Brother! We can’t take the risk. Brother San said safety first."

Zhao Ergou quickly tried to talk Zhao Wenwu down. He wasn’t very strong, and after aiming for a while, he could no longer hold his rifle steady. He had to point the muzzle toward the sky to give his arms a rest.

"Can we break out of here with the deer?"

Zhao Wenjun seemed to be asking the others as much as himself. The maral deer weighed at least five hundred fifty pounds. Only Zhao Wenwu was strong enough to carry it alone, but his shoulder injury hadn’t fully healed, so he’d need help. If the wolves attacked while they were moving, only two of them would be able to fire their rifles. Should the pack break through their defenses, the consequences would be unimaginable. General and the other dogs weren’t fully grown yet; they were no match for these adult gray wolves in a direct confrontation.

"If we leave the deer for them, we should be able to get away."

Jin Xiuying said gravely. She had tried to take aim, but the wolves were too far and always on the move, making it impossible to land a shot. The beasts were cunning, circling from a distance without ever getting close. If they abandoned the deer, she reasoned, a group of four people with four rifles should be enough to deter an attack.

No one seconded Jin Xiuying’s suggestion, even though they knew she was right. Zhao Ergou stared longingly at the massive deer. A catch this big was their only major success after so many days, and he couldn’t stand the thought of just handing it over to the wolves. ’Hundreds of pounds of meat... Think of how many people that could feed,’ he lamented internally.

"Let’s try moving out with the deer first."

Zhao Wenjun, unable to part with the prize, made a suggestion. With Zhao Wendong away, he had automatically taken on the role of leader as the eldest brother.

Everyone nodded in agreement, all clinging to the same sliver of hope: maybe the wolves would back off once they started moving. Three of them raised their rifles, muzzles covering their surroundings, fingers on the triggers. They didn’t dare fire blindly. Each magazine only held five rounds, and every shot counted. Worse, the wolves were spread out and constantly moving, making a clean shot nearly impossible. Even Jin Xiuying, the best marksman among them, wasn’t confident she could hit one. If they fired and missed, the rest of the pack would likely charge them in an instant.

"Get ready!"

As soon as Zhao Wenjun gave the order, Zhao Wenwu bent down, grabbed the maral deer by its hind legs, and heaved it onto his back. With his injured shoulder, he couldn’t quite manage the weight alone. Zhao Ergou, being a poor shot anyway, put away his rifle and helped by holding the deer’s head with both hands.

Jin Xiuying covered the rear while Zhao Wenjun took the lead, forming a small defensive formation. They began to retreat toward the hot spring. Sensing their masters’ intent to break through, General and the other two dogs bravely charged forward, barking furiously at the surrounding Wolf Pack.

General continuously directed Zhui Feng and Zhen Shan. The three dogs would occasionally make a mad dash forward, attempting to break the wolves’ formation. Regardless of success, they would immediately fall back to Zhao Wenjun’s side. The Wolf Pack, however, was far more patient. They never met the dogs’ charges head-on. Instead, the wolves in front would retreat while three or four others shot out from the flanks to encircle them. All the while, a howl echoed from deep within the woods, as if a commander were issuing orders.

On their latest charge, Zhen Shan was too aggressive and got caught by two wolves. He managed to bite one, but took a bite to his own rump in return. Just as the wolf was about to press its attack on Zhen Shan, Jin Xiuying raised her rifle, held her breath, and prepared to fire. But the howl from the woods rang out again. The wolf that had bitten Zhen Shan immediately broke off its attack and swiftly retreated, vanishing from Jin Xiuying’s sights.

"Damn it! One of the wolves is giving them orders!"

Jin Xiuying lowered her rifle and cursed. If that wolf had been just a few seconds slower in its retreat, she was confident she could have taken it down.

When Zhen Shan returned, he had a bloody wound on his hindquarters. Zhao Wenjun quickly took a look; it was a nasty gash, but not life-threatening. The biggest problem now was that their progress had slowed to a crawl.

Directed by those howls, the wolves merely toyed with the group, draining the dogs’ stamina and the humans’ morale. Every time Zhao Wenjun tried to take a step, the wolves nearest him would lunge forward. But as soon as he swung his rifle around, they would freeze, drop low, snarl, and quickly back away. Meanwhile, in whatever direction he wasn’t looking, another wolf or two would dart out in a feigned attack, forcing them to constantly react and leaving them unable to focus.

Zhao Wenjun could feel his arms growing sore and his breathing becoming heavier. Puffs of white mist from his breath clouded the stock of his rifle. He could never get a wolf in his sights. At times, he would see one just fifteen or sixteen meters away—so close he could make out the snowflakes clinging to its whiskers—but by the time he raised his rifle, the wolf would have already vanished back into the trees.

"Son of a bitch! These bastards are too damn cunning!"

"Sister-in-law, they charge every time we move. How about you just open fire the next time one of them rushes in? You’re a crack shot."

Jin Xiuying considered it, then shook her head.

"No, Big Brother. Haven’t you been hearing the howls giving them orders? This pack’s Wolf King is too smart. I’m worried that once I fire, their feints will turn into a real assault. Even if I work the bolt as fast as possible, I won’t have time to reload after five shots. If they swarm us then, we’ll be in serious trouble."

If all four of them were as skilled with a rifle as Zhao Wendong and Jin Xiuying, they wouldn’t be in this predicament. But Zhao Wenjun was only an average shot, while Er Gou and Zhao Wenwu were downright terrible. After a few more steps, they had no choice but to stop. The Wolf Pack’s encirclement was tightening, and the shapes of a dozen or so wolves were now faintly visible all around them. Any further advance would likely turn their probing into a full-blown assault.

Zhao Wenwu dropped the maral deer. He and Zhao Ergou picked up their rifles again, and the four of them reformed their defensive circle. Seeing this, the howl of what must have been the alpha rang out once more. The Wolf Pack quickly fell back into the forest, resuming their distant encirclement. After all that effort, the group was exhausted and had only managed to advance a few dozen paces.

"Three on watch. We’ll take turns resting."

Jin Xiuying quickly laid out the plan. They would rest in shifts while discussing their next move.

"If there’s no other way, we’ll have to leave the deer for them."

Jin Xiuying proposed the idea again. The three Zhao brothers heard her but said nothing. They were furious. To have the prize they had worked so hard for stolen by a pack of animals was just too humiliating to accept.

But the wolves kept shifting their positions in the trees, holding them pinned from a distance. Their intent was obvious: drag this out until nightfall, then attack under the cover of darkness. If they didn’t get out soon, they’d be in serious trouble when night fell.

"Fuck!"

Zhao Wenwu slammed his fist into the snow beside him. After the curse, he spoke with bitter resentment.

"Too bad Three’s not here. He’d make short work of these bastards."

Jin Xiuying comforted him in a gentle voice.

"It’s alright. We can always hunt another deer. Our safety is what matters most. It’s not worth risking our lives fighting them for it."

"Yeah..."

Zhao Wenwu nodded, wanting to respect his wife’s words. A man had to listen to his wife. Still, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Zhao Wenjun was also seething with frustration. He had thought that, with Zhao Wendong absent, they could prove their own worth. But after four or five days, they had barely bagged anything. Now, their first huge success was about to be surrendered to a cunning Wolf Pack. He was filled with a helpless rage, and his heart ached.

But there was no other choice. As precious as the deer was, it wasn’t worth more than their lives. Zhao Wendong’s parting words still echoed in his ears: he had to ensure everyone’s safety.

"Fine. If we can’t take it with us, we’ll leave it..."

Before Zhao Wenjun could finish, a huge Golden Roc suddenly descended from the sky. It landed in a tree directly above them and let out a piercing cry.