Landlord in the Arctic

AWOO!

Tyson let out an aggrieved, low growl.

He looked up at Ashes, his gaze full of accusation, as if to say that Ashes had started the trouble.

Seeing this, Ashes refused to be outdone and let out a snort with a sharp flick of his head.

He raised a hoof high, posturing as if ready to start another fight at any moment.

Seeing the two were about to start trouble again, Feng Mountain acted decisively, swiftly striking the tiger and the horse each with a slap.

The slaps weren’t heavy, but they carried a certain authority. The chastised Tyson and Ashes immediately settled down, standing obediently in place.

Feng Mountain didn’t understand what had caused their conflict. He turned to the crowd of onlookers.

"Who knows what happened?"

"I do!"

A clear voice rang out as Liu Lan, like a lively little rabbit, came hopping out of the crowd.

After she stopped, her gaze went straight to Loki.

Loki, who was busy trying to curry favor on Feng Mountain’s shoulder, sensed that the situation was not looking good for him.

His small, beady eyes darted around. ’I should make a run for it,’ he plotted, just beginning to spread his wings.

But then he heard his dad’s warning voice ring out unexpectedly.

"If you dare fly, I’ll clip your feathers. From now on, you’ll be just like Tu’Er, only able to walk on the ground."

"Dad, don’t be angry. Loki won’t fly. Loki will be good."

Loki trembled in fear and quickly folded his wings. He carefully shuffled closer to Feng Mountain’s ear and gently rubbed his beak against Feng Mountain’s cheek, trying to appease his dad’s anger with this affectionate gesture.

"Liu Lan, go ahead," Feng Mountain said. He had already guessed that this incident was, in all likelihood, inseparable from that little rascal Loki.

Liu Lan took light, quick steps over to Tyson’s side. She pointed a slender little finger toward the Melting Ice River and began to explain animatedly.

"We were playing outside, and then the tigers got thirsty. Loki brought the Tiger Pack to the river to drink, and then Loki suddenly shouted to Ashes, ’Someone is secretly drinking water in your spot!’"

After speaking, Liu Lan paused for a moment, thought, and then continued, "When Ashes heard the shout, he brought his herd over, looking all aggressive. He insisted on chasing the tigers away and wouldn’t let them drink here."

"That’s right, I heard it too! It was Loki who shouted." Fiona came jogging over, pushing through the crowd breathlessly. She pointed a finger at Loki and spoke with conviction.

Immediately after, the other children also stepped forward, all speaking at once as they pointed him out. "Yes, yes, it was Loki!"

Feng Mountain slowly turned his head, his icy gaze fixed on Loki, who was still on his shoulder.

His cold stare seemed to see right through every one of Loki’s little schemes. Frightened, Loki couldn’t help but take a few steps back, his feathers trembling as he pitifully whispered,

"Dad, you said not to let anyone near Ashes’s drinking spot. Loki was protecting Tyson, and I had to give a warning."

Ha!

Feng Mountain was so angry he laughed. ’This damn thing is really good at arguing his way out of trouble.’

’He clearly knew that Ashes has always seen the mossy grassland as his territory. And he knew that Ashes will instinctively guard important resources within that territory, like the water source. Only members of his own herd have ever been allowed to use it. If any other animal gets close, Ashes is bound to stop them.’

’You deliberately led the Tiger Pack to Ashes’s drinking spot just because you wanted to watch them fight for your own amusement.’

At this thought, Feng Mountain reached out, grabbed Loki, and threw him forcefully to the ground.

"Go apologize to Ashes and Tyson. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

Although Loki was usually mischievous and unruly, he had one redeeming quality: he knew when to admit defeat and never picked a fight he couldn’t win.

In his conniving little mind, instigating a fight between the Tiger Pack and the horse herd was just for fun, a good show to watch.

But when he met his dad’s eyes, he instantly realized he had gone too far this time and made a huge mess.

So, he hurriedly and dejectedly hopped over to Tyson, bobbing his head up and down like a pellet drum while muttering some words.

"Tyson, Loki was wrong. Loki shouldn’t have done a bad thing."

Tyson heard him and let out a low growl from his throat, which was his way of accepting the apology and forgiving him this time.

Next, Loki deftly hopped in front of Ashes and repeated the exact same apology.

After hearing it, Ashes snorted, which was also his way of saying he would not pursue the matter and forgave Loki’s mischief.

"You think a simple apology makes everything okay?" Feng Mountain snorted, his voice filled with unquestionable severity. "Get your ass to the restaurant and get to work. If I catch you singing those vulgar, off-key songs in there again, you can get the hell out of the Crown Territory immediately. I can’t afford to keep you."

GAK!

Hearing this, Loki’s little eyes instantly flashed with shock. ’This time, I’ve really, *really* pissed Dad off,’ he understood in his heart.

Terrified, he hopped and skipped, flapping his wings as he scrambled in the direction of the restaurant.

After dealing with Loki, Feng Mountain’s attention immediately turned to Ashes.

He raised his hand and—WHAP—slapped Ashes on the head, his tone full of frustration at the horse’s foolishness.

"Quite something, aren’t you? So the entire Tundra belongs to you now, is that it? Tyson and the others were just getting a drink of water and you couldn’t even tolerate that. What’s next? Should I just hand over the whole camp to you? You really think you can do whatever you want, don’t you!"

"I’ll say it again: if you want to stay, then behave yourself. If not, I’ll send you back to Horned Ranch. I won’t put up with your rotten attitude here."

It was the first time Ashes had seen Feng Mountain truly angry. He was so scared his tail swished back and forth. He walked over to Tyson and gently nuzzled him with his head, as if to offer a welcome.

Then, Feng Mountain’s gaze shifted to Coca-Cola, who was on the tiger’s back.

"And you, Coca-Cola. As the big sister, you just stood by and watched them cause trouble? What would you have done if a real fight had broken out?"