Salt could attract deer, but it couldn't keep them. If Zhang Zian tried to approach the deer at this time, even if he only took a few steps back, he might scare the deer away. Deer were vigilant animals. Even if they loved to lick salt, they wouldn't value salt more than their lives. So if they were scared, they might run away and never approach again.
So Zhang Zian could only pretend that nothing had happened. He knew that the deer was in the woods about 50 meters behind him, but he couldn't act too impatient. He couldn't act like a fool who had never seen a woman before. If he talked about the four-piece set on the bed with silk or cotton for the first time on a blind date, the girl would probably turn around and run away in fear. The same was true for the deer.
Tourists rarely went deep into this primeval forest. At most, they would drive through or find a few officially recommended trails to walk. So the deer here were different from the deer in Muir Park. That was a popular scenic spot next to San Francisco, and the deer had long been accustomed to people.
As for how many deer there were behind him, whether it was one or a group, and what kind of deer it was, he wasn't sure. The biggest possibility was that the leader of the deer was looking out for them, and the rest was still in the woods further away.
The elfins felt that what he said made sense, especially the blind date metaphor, which was easy to understand, but they also inexplicably sympathized with him.
He extinguished the campfire that he had made for lunch and buried it with soil to prevent it from reigniting. He put on his backpack and set off again. The pore diameter of the seasoning bottle cap was adjustable. Previously, he had only opened it halfway, but now he opened the pore to the maximum to let more salt leak out. This was to prevent the deer behind him from feeling that there was too little salt and leaving halfway.
Although there was only one seasoning bottle, he bought several boxes of salt, so he could replenish it as needed.
He had brought a lot of miscellaneous things that might or might not be useful, so his backpack was particularly heavy.
"Famous, Grandpa Tea, Vladimir, and Fina, you guys have to be more vigilant."
Not long after they set off, Zhang Zian saw that the elfins were very curious about the deer behind them. They looked back from time to time, so he reminded them.
"Oh?" Old Time Tea was surprised. "Is the new elfin approaching?"
Zhang Zian looked down at his phone. The electronic map showed that the elfin was getting closer and closer, but it wasn't close yet. He was more concerned about other things.
"Is the deer still behind?" he asked.
Old Time Tea nodded. "They seem to be closer than before. The number … I can see two or three at the moment."
Zhang Zian said, "The deer is behind us, but there are beasts in this primeval forest, including black bears, cougars, and coyotes. The deer is also one of the main prey of these beasts, so … the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. We are equivalent to the cicada!"
When he said that, the elves understood the potential danger of the matter.
Originally, it was very rare for tourists and hikers to encounter beasts in this forest. This was because humans were not on the beasts' menu, and the beasts knew that humans were not to be trifled with. Therefore, when they heard human footsteps and smelled human scents, they would avoid them. However, the situation was different now. The beasts also needed to eat. They were really hungry. Even if they knew that there were people nearby, they could not let go of these deer who were focused on licking the salt. If people did not know what was good for them and tried to stop them, the beasts probably did not mind adding an extra appetizer.
"Quack?" Richard was shocked. "I'm so skinny. Bears and lions shouldn't be interested, right?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe they want to change their tastes," Zhang Zian said half-jokingly.
The elves perked up and no longer paid too much attention to the deer behind them. Instead, they focused more on the front and the side, in case of a sudden attack by a beast. They had to be especially careful of cougars. These small lions were very suitable for hunting and ambushing in the forest. They could even hide in the trees and wait for prey to pass by to jump on the prey's back and bite the neck, catching them off guard.
It was almost evening. Zhang Zian saw that the sky was dark and it was not suitable to continue moving forward, so he found a place to camp.
It was best to camp near a water source, whether it was a stream or a lake. However, in the forest, water was not easy to find. Often, when they did not need to camp, they would encounter a stream, but when they needed to camp, they could not even find a water hole. It was really annoying.
After the crisis in the desert, he was now more concerned about the potential danger of water shortage than ordinary hikers. Before there was any sign of water shortage, he had to prepare for a rainy day.
Just as he watched the sky quickly turn dark and was secretly anxious about whether he could find a water source before it got dark, Fina suddenly reminded him, "The deer behind us, they are not following us anymore."
He hurriedly looked back and saw that the deer had indeed stopped. They alternately looked at him and a path on the side that had been created by the animals, as if they were hesitating.
After a moment, the leading buck took the lead and stepped onto the path, and the other deer followed one by one.
Had they lost interest in salt? Or did they think that he was dangerous?
Or …
Zhang Zian suddenly thought that humans needed to drink water, and so did deer. Eating grass alone could not satisfy their body's need for water, not to mention that they had licked so much salt along the way. They must be more thirsty than usual!
Deer lived by water and grass. They had the instinct to find salt, and they also had the instinct to find water. Just as camels could find water in the desert, deer could also find water in the forest.
"Famous."
He called Famous softly and gestured to it not to follow Mike's scent for the time being. Instead, he changed his route and walked in the same direction as the animal that had stepped out of the path.
The road was rugged and difficult to walk on. The ground was covered with dense ferns, and the path was often blocked by overgrown tree roots. Coupled with the towering trees and the pervading mist, it was as if he had traveled to the world of Jurassic Park.
The tree roots that protruded from the ground were one meter high. When they encountered tree roots that blocked the way, the elfins could easily jump over them. He could only take off his backpack, push it over, and then flip over to carry the backpack. It was extremely painful.
He bet that the deer were looking for water to drink, and he was very sure that his guess was correct. However, he was not sure how far away the water source was from them. If it was very far away …
After walking like this for twenty or thirty minutes, the sky was getting darker and darker.
Was there really a water source in front?
At this time, the sensitive elfins said almost in unison, "There is the sound of running water in front!"
Zhang Zian, whose confidence was getting weaker and weaker, felt as if he had been injected with a cardiac stimulant. His body was instantly filled with motivation.
After walking for a while, there was a twist in the road. After bypassing a few big trees, a gurgling stream suddenly appeared in front of them.
The deer were already quietly sipping the water by the stream.
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