Zhang Zian was relieved to see the water.
There was a lot of moisture in the forest. If he really couldn't find a water source, he could use some wilderness survival methods to condense dew, but that would waste a lot of time, and it would barely be enough to sustain his life. If that really happened, it would be better to find a way out of the forest as soon as possible, not to mention looking for the missing girl or anything else.
After an afternoon of walking together, the herd seemed to have some trust in him. Even when they saw him appear by the stream, they were not afraid. They were only about 20 or 30 meters away from him. If he had a shotgun, it would be hard for him to miss.
This was a small herd of seven or eight deer, including a majestic male deer walking in the front, and a few lively young deer that didn't know the dangers of the world.
The young deer were full of curiosity about humans. They actually ran to about a dozen meters away from him and stared at him with their innocent eyes, as if wondering where this strange guy got so much delicious salt.
He recognized that this was a group of North American red deer. The most obvious characteristics that distinguished them from other deer were the dark brown circle around their necks and the pair of majestic antlers on top of the male deer's head.
Not only him, but the elfins also recognized them, because everyone had just seen such antlers on the wall of the wooden house in the forest not long ago. However, under the antlers, there was a complete deer head that had been made into a specimen.
The antlers of red deer could grow very big, and had always been one of the hunters' favorite trophies. The deer head would be cut off and made into a specimen to be placed at home to show off one's hunting skills and manliness.
There were many types of deer, and their names were very confusing. The United States and Europe each had their own names. For example, the same word "elk" referred to red deer in North America and moose in Europe. What was even more confusing was that many Chinese tourists or local translators in the United States translated red deer as elk. In fact, elk was a deer unique to China. It was extremely rare and could not be seen in the wild in the United States.
North American red deer were larger, liked to live in groups, and liked to be active during the day. These characteristics all matched.
However, he didn't know if there were individuals infected with prion proteins in this herd of red deer.
When he set up the tent, the group of red deer, who were used to being active during the day, did not seem to want to leave. They alternately sipped the stream water and nibbled on the grass.
They looked alert and alert, but not at him. From time to time, they looked up at the dark depths of the forest.
"Quack! I'll help you find a latrine pit, you idiot. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Do you want to squat there and try? " Richard flapped his wings and flew over, trying to land on his shoulder, but due to his night blindness, it took him a few tries before he succeeded.
"Latrine pit?" He was too lazy to care about it. "Did you fart it out?"
"Quack! This child is worth teaching! Unfortunately, you underestimated my power. If I really burst, I can make a crater — an atomic crater! "Richard pushed him with his wings." Go and try! Squat down and see if it's suitable! "
Zhang Zian was annoyed by it. After setting up the tent, he picked up the pot and asked, "Where is it? I'm warning you, if it doesn't look like a latrine pit, I'm going to eat mushroom stewed chicken tonight! "
Richard showed him the way without a care in the world. He led him around several thick trees to a thin tree about twenty metres away from the stream. Although it was a thin tree, its diameter was about the same as a grown man's.
"Look! Doesn't this look like a latrine pit? "Richard couldn't see it clearly anymore. It used its wings to point at the ground.
Zhang Zian didn't believe it at all. He casually looked at the ground and was immediately stunned.
Under the roots of the thin tree was an oval pit about twenty to thirty centimeters deep, with smooth edges.
"Quack! You idiot, tell me! Doesn't it look like a latrine pit? "Richard said proudly. When it flew over to relieve itself, it found the pit and couldn't help but go back to show off its discovery to Zhang Zian. It didn't know why, but it vaguely felt that this pit was different from a natural pit.
Zhang Zian felt a chill down his spine. He didn't have time to talk to Richard. He turned on the headlamp and carefully looked at the trunk of the thin tree. Sure enough, he saw that the trunk was about one meter above the ground, and a lot of the bark had peeled off.
When he looked closer, he used his fingers to pull out a black hair as long as a little finger from the gap in the bark.
F * ck!
He cursed in his heart. He didn't take the stream water, but hurried back to the tent with the empty pot.
"Famous! Come with me! "
Famous was resting on its stomach. When it heard his voice, it immediately stood up and followed behind him.
Not only Famous, but the other elfins also heard the worry and urgency in his voice. They all followed to see what had happened.
When they came to the pit again, Zhang Zian pointed at the pit and said, "Famous, smell it …"
Famous didn't need to get close to it. It had already smelled the smell. "What is this smell? It's a very strong body odor, like the smell left behind by a large carnivore! "
It stared at the increasingly thick darkness uneasily. The instinct left in its bloodline was warning it to leave immediately.
The other elfins with a sensitive sense of smell also smelled it. This smell seemed to have some kind of pressure, making them almost breathless.
"Zian, what animal left this pit?" Old Time Tea was highly alert, its brass eyes flashing.
What animal could dig a pit? Pangolin? Anteater?
Zhang Zian took a deep breath and barely suppressed the panic in his heart. He tried to remain calm and said, "It's a black bear."
"Black bear?" The elfins were all stunned. Even Richard was so scared that he swallowed his teasing words back into his stomach. "Are you sure?"
Zhang Zian nodded. He pointed at the pit and said, "This kind of pit is where bears sleep. Hunters and experienced hikers in the United States call this a bear bed."
He then pointed to the trunk of the slender tree. "The black bear sleeps and scratches here. Its skin is rough and thick. If it scratches too hard, it will even rub off the bark. There is also the black bear's hair in the bark."
He then looked back at the herd of deer by the stream. "The path they just walked on was probably made by the black bear. That's why they are so uneasy. But they eat too much salt. No matter how uneasy they are, they still have to drink water …"
"What should we do now? In my opinion, I'm afraid it's not a good idea to fight it head-on. It's best to leave, "Old Time Tea advised.
Vladimir was eager to try. It clenched its fists and said, "What black bear, white bear, they are all imperialist bears!"
"Famous, can you smell how long the black bear has been gone?" he asked.
Famous carefully sniffed around again, and said uncertainly, "Maybe a day or two."
They really needed water. Besides, how far could they walk in such a deep and shallow place at night?
Zhang Zian was in a dilemma. After thinking for a long time, he decided to take the risk and stay here tonight.
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