311, Fanwai-Lutu 2
With the arrival of the cold snap, the snowflakes of winter begin to drift in the sky, and the earth is covered with layers of snow.
On a sunny winter morning, the area was covered in 2 feet of snow overnight, when the ground was swept by the wind in the north, and the temperature was -26C.
A herd of reindeer lingering here, stopping to paddle on the ground with their hooves and digging small pits in the ground with their wide hooves, before sniffing their lichens vigorously in search of food.
In grasslands and forests where water and grass are abundant, herbivores pay little attention to this food, but in cold, wooded areas, it is one of the few plants that can grow, and it is the most common food for reindeer in the second half of the journey.
The reindeer leader and the herd of reindeer are about to arrive on the treeless shores of the Arctic Ocean, where their last stop before their victory is made, and the second half of a long and arduous journey, which will not be completed until they have successfully reached the tundra of the Arctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle tundra in winter is like a desert formed by snow and ice, barren, cold, and lifeless; But in the summer, the tundra is full of life and greenery, and it completely changes its appearance.
Reindeer herds that reach the tundra will no longer have to hunt for lichens and consume the fat stored on their bodies to survive, and the tundra will grow lush plants and solitary species, while the reindeer will feed on fresh plants.
When they reach the tundra, they no longer have to hide from wolves and other wild beasts, because the surface of the tundra is frozen all year round, and wolves have no way to get here, and compared with wolves, few bears and other beasts do not pose much threat to the reindeer herd.
The reindeer herd arrives in the Arctic Circle permafrost during the spring and summer months, when the permafrost begins to revive and the shoots of plants continue to emerge from the soil, and after germination, the plants grow rapidly and the water stored in the snow is quickly absorbed.
When summer arrives, the tundra will be refreshed and the vegetation will come full of life, and with plenty of food and relative safety, thousands of reindeer will begin to thrive and begin their way to survive the new year.
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The tundra of all the Arctic Circle is the final destination for reindeer herds and one of the areas where they are familiar with long-term life.
But before that, they will face a huge crisis, and the wolves near the Arctic Circle are their greatest danger.
The wolves live nearby, and the reindeer are attacked by wolves on their way on, and these skilled wolves repeatedly attack the herbivores who are struggling to walk long distances.
To reach the tundra, the reindeer herd will have to cross a number of rivers, some of which contain huge blocks of ice, and wolves and grizzly bears familiar with the reindeer's future routes will be alert on the banks of the river, waiting for the exhaustion to arrive and strike a fatal blow when they can't dodge the attack.
Of course, they will also keep their eyes on the young deer who have accidentally lost their mother's shelter on the way across the river.
Reindeer have the most nutritious milk of all land mammals, so newborn deer are well nourished and grow so fast that young reindeer can learn to run within a few days and are as fast as adult deer.
Young deer, who have a very high talent for speed, obviously do not have the talent and experience when facing rivers, and without the guidance and protection of their mother, they are prone to panic and problems.
And this is the best time for these hunters.
In the natural world of survival and predation, no beast will pay attention to the morality of the old and the young, in their eyes, it is only the difference in the amount of food.
The reindeer herd passed through the last forest in the north, and further on, a long river appeared in front of me like a beautiful woman with a half-covered face holding a lute, with trees on the bank of the river, shadows covering the river, and a large open space on the bank, which was exceptionally flat.
A thin cloud blocked the sun, and shadows appeared on the riverbank.
Between the branches, the birds watched quietly from the branches, only to see one after another reindeer coming out of the woods and moving on the riverbank, which was the reindeer herd preparing before crossing the river, and they also needed to replenish water during the long journey.
The banks of the river are covered with snow, there are already a lot of ice blocks floating in the river, and most of the older reindeer are wary, and the memories of crossing the river are mostly not good, and it is always common to be attacked.
While the deer were vigilant, on the ice in the river, the wolves that had been lurking for a long time were shining with excitement in their eyes.
However, due to the distance, the deer can only see the silent ice and snow in the river, and the more detailed details are really not clear, even if they are vigilant, but facing the glacier on the bank of the river, thinking about the destination they are about to reach, they must cross the river.
"Whoa."
As soon as they entered the river, the icy water overflowed all over the body, and the reindeer who were frozen did not know how many, but there were no reindeer flinching, the young reindeer looked at the cold river and hesitated, but the mother on their side would forcefully bring it into the river, of course, they would also help.
The huge herd of deer stepped into the river and headed for the other side of the riverbank.
The reindeer leader was sandwiched between his fellow tribesmen, and gradually his golden eyes looked straight at the other side, which was yearning and expectation.
It thought that if it got to the tundra, to the place where it had grown, everything would be fine again.
At this time, on the ice of the river, looking at the deer crossing the river, a group of hunters who had been waiting for the opportunity for a long time were also looking forward to it.
It's a pack of wild wolves that are old friends with the reindeer herd, and at this time of year, they arrive in the area on time for a seasoned hunt.
The wolves had been following the deer for the first day, and after an afternoon of observation, they confirmed that the deer's route had not changed, and the wolves lurked there early in the morning to carry out a long-planned hunt in a place they were familiar with.
In order to wait for the arrival of the reindeer herd, the wild wolves lurk on the side early, they are hungry but energetic, in this cold season, it is difficult to predict whether they can have a full meal, and the migration of the reindeer herd is their only hunt to ensure a source of food, so even if this hunt is somewhat tired, the wolves will never give up this opportunity.
As the deer enter the river, the wolves are looking for targets to try to lower their hunger, but as their gaze sweeps over the tall adult reindeer, the ignorant and innocent fawns, they only feel that the hunger in their bellies is becoming more and more impossible to ignore.
The delicious prey was close in front of him, and as he got closer and closer, the wolf lurked quietly on the ice floe, staring at the target with hungry green eyes.
In fact, in the eyes of the wolves, the fat reindeer, after a long journey after a long migration, have consumed a lot of stored fat, at this time the reindeer are much thinner than when they set off, far from being "fat", but in the winter when everything is off the scales, the huge reindeer herd is extremely delicious and tempting in the eyes of the wild wolves.
The prey is right in front of you, slowly approaching with the waves of the water, and then getting closer......
The glowing wolf eyes were full of covetousness, and greedy desire permeated the air, but the wild wolves could still resist the desire in their flesh and blood, and lurked silently, waiting for their prey to enter the most suitable attack distance.
Large, hard, large-horned males are mostly out of the range of wild wolves, and their dark eyes are on adult females and young fawns, especially those who cross the river next to each other, and they are the best targets.
It's closer...... It's closer!
The wild wolf on the ice closed its teeth tightly, seeing that the prey had entered the predetermined hunting range, and immediately a vertical leap, a thick and strong silhouette rushed out of the ice, gray hair brought up snow, like a sharp blade, swinging towards the deer!
The panicked chirp of the young deer suddenly sounded, and the sudden appearance of dozens of wild wolves made the deer group panic, and the experienced older deer fled in a hurry, with a hint of skill in the panic.
The female deer crossing the river with their cubs panicked, but most of the female deer would not give up on the young deer, they protected the young deer in panic, and the frightened young deer had no master, blindly following the shadow of the deer on their side.
At the beginning of the panic, many young deer were separated from their mothers, and many young deer lost their way in panic and scattered with the herd, and the lonely young figure was reflected in the eyes of the wild wolf and became the best hunting target.
The reindeer leader ran to the river bank in the middle of the herd, and before it had time to look at its surroundings, its anxious hiss was washed away in the torrent, and many fragments of memories suddenly appeared in its mind, and this moment of image made it appear in a trance.
"Young ———!"
A rapid frightened deer roar suddenly came to his ears, and the reindeer leader suddenly came back to his senses, turned his head to look, and saw a young deer being bitten by the throat by a gray wild wolf, staring at a pair of innocent deer eyes, looking blankly and frightened at the riverbank.
"Young!"
Without waiting for the reindeer leader to react, countless rapid deer chirped beside him, young deer, but more adult reindeer.
Countless reindeer are moving quickly towards the riverbank, they don't look back, they don't look at their miserable kindred, they just want to get to the bank quickly, back to the solid land that allows them to run fast and shake off the wolves.
At this moment, a sense of sadness appeared in the mind of the reindeer leader, he did not understand where this feeling came from, let alone what it meant, but this feeling made it uncomfortable and made it lose the will to live.
Suddenly, the stag was holding its antlers, half-turning its head, maintaining the posture of turning its head, and was carried by the deer on its side, numbly kicking its hooves, and kept moving towards the riverbank.
When the coolness around him subsided, the solid feeling of earth under his feet, and the sound of clattering hooves recalled the dazed sanity of the reindeer leader.
As soon as the deer came ashore, they quickly fled, and they threw the wolves away with superior speed, and the wolves did not pursue.
The wolves dragged their prey up to the river bank and began to enjoy their hard-earned meal.
Running along the barren land with a huge herd of deer, the reindeer leader's gaze has lost its last eagerness.
Its brain, which shouldn't have had superfluous emotions, suddenly had a strange thought, migration, is it right?
Every year, the continuous walking, the attacks of the beasts encountered along the way, the repeated reincarnation, and the constant repetition of the tragedy on the road......
At this moment, the reindeer leader, who had traveled several migratory roads, was at a loss, its survival instinct told it that migration was a necessary journey for survival, but its state of mind at the moment told it that it was a journey destined for sadness......
"Young ......"
A young deer that was lost in the run and could not find its mother turned to the feet of the reindeer leader, and the fawn looked up misty, wanting to confirm whether the tall adult deer next to him was his mother, and the ignorant eyes looked timidly, and then put away in loss.
Watching the deer cub leave with a low chirp and running to the other kindred, the young body shuttled through the huge herd, looking for its mother, maybe its mother was also anxiously looking for it in the herd, perhaps...... It fell forever in the icy waters of the river behind it.
The reindeer leader's dazed state of mind regained a glimmer of light in the shaking, it couldn't figure out the meaning of the migration, and it didn't know whether the trip was good or bad, but at this moment it understood that the survival of the group was the first element.
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In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and the sky quickly darkens after a long run.
After shaking off the wolves, the reindeer regained their steady pace, and when dusk came, the cold wind rose again, and the deer had unconsciously left the last forest and reached a slightly raised slope.
The reindeer are exhausted after a day of running and wolves, so it is only natural that the reindeer herd will rest against the large rocks and natural leeward points created by the gentle slopes below, and be ready for a night's rest, and tomorrow they will cross the area and officially enter the permafrost.
The reindeer leaders have also regrouped their small herds, and when they reach the tundra, they will disperse and continue to reproduce according to their small herds.
As night falls, the reindeer stay close together to keep warm, back to back, head to head, with close contact to maintain each other's body temperature, which can effectively reduce their physical strength and fat consumption, but also to ensure that in the cold night, no reindeer will lose their lives due to the cold.
In the distance, a pack of tired wolves is slowly approaching.
They are certainly not daytime wolves, they come from another, much larger pack of wild wolves, and there is no shortage of hunters in this barren area.
The reindeer herd was obviously unprepared for this, and the attack during the day made many experienced reindeer think that they should be safe tonight, after all, the hunters in this area were already full on the riverbank and should not invade again.
In the common sense of wild animals, the hunters in an area have their own territory, and most of the time, the beasts do not invade each other, they have not left the hunting range of the wild wolves, and they should not be attacked by the wolves again.
But this time, unexpectedly, another pack of wolves appeared in the area.
The night wind whistled on the side of the slope with a ghostly and eerie tone, and the air flow that leaked in brought a slight chill, and even the reindeer in thick uniforms were awakened by the cold.
At this time, the uninvited guest who followed the night wind had reached the vicinity, a pair of dark green cold eyes, flashing a wild light in the darkness, it was greed, it was longing.
Among the wolves, a lone wolf stopped, its body was low, it was a lame old wolf.
The old wolf's dark coat, with two narrow eyes, a thin body, and a sparsely haired tail, made it look particularly miserable and pitiful among the young wolves with vigorous hair and strong bodies. However, on closer inspection, its position is very delicate, and this group of vanguard wolves is faintly led by it.
It stands to reason that such a crippled and old wolf, no longer in the prime of life, should have been abandoned or even killed by the wolves as reserve food when winter came, but it is unbelievable that this old wolf can not only survive, but also become the leader of a small wolf pack.
The old wolf's gaze was dark and dark, and it stared at the reindeer herd next to each other, and there was a glimmer of wisdom in its eyes.
The wolf pack has a strong ability to cooperate, and team battles are their advantage, but in the face of a team of tens of thousands of reindeer, they are obviously too small for a few dozen wolves, hunting, is the purpose of their trip, but how to hunt, must be cautious.
And the old wolf's actions at this moment are using its experienced experience to find a breakthrough in the deer herd, one, which will not cause a large-scale collision of the deer herd, and can accurately and quickly drag the prey out of the mouth of the deer herd.
The old wolf's body is thin and weak, but a pair of eyes are extraordinarily bright, and the years and time have deprived it of its spiritual strength, but it has brought it precious experience and experience, and its mind has precipitated into wisdom and formed cunning thinking in the experience. These intelligent thoughts are the advantages that the prime-aged wolves around them do not have.
In this winter, it uses its own wisdom and experience to lead this group of wild wolves who are about to starve to death again and again to find life, to find the prey hidden in the cold winter, in the face of survival, the strength seems to be leaning back, the leader of the wolf pack, gradually losing the right to speak, the cunning old wolf to the young and strong when they were not able to reach the position.
The old wolf, who has the power to command the wolf pack, has changed his once humble status and has become the leader of this small wolf pack, which commands 4 big male wolves, 5 adult female wolves, and 6 young wolf cubs, and takes them to wander in the cold winter, running around, looking for all life.
And at this moment, again, with the experience and wisdom of the old wolf, they found the prey and found the food to continue their survival.
The old wolf, who was quietly observing, suddenly turned around, looked at the male wolves beside him with deep eyes, and gave his command.
The male wolves got up quietly, and the female wolves followed closely, and they silently moved in the direction guided by the old wolf, and the tacit understanding between the wolves no longer needed words.
The male and female wolves crept around the back of the hillside, their long, narrow green eyes twinkling in the cold wind, their gray fur covered with snowflakes at some point, and the night snow creeping silently like this group of uninvited guests.
The male wolf led by the head lowered his head, pricked up his ears, and slowly approached the target, he subconsciously flicked his big tail like a broomstick, grinned slightly and narrowly before him, and looked at the sleeping reindeer showing a mouth full of fangs.
The wolves had a greedy heart, thirsting for warm blood, fragrant venison, claws and fangs.