Black bears were the top carnivores in the mahogany forest. Neither coyotes nor cougars could rival black bears. The only ones that could compete with black bears were the rare wolves.
Black bears liked cleanliness and would not defecate in their own dens. They always kept their dens clean and looked like a cradle, but even so, they could not fool other animals' sense of smell and shrewd hunters.
The herd might have also sensed the presence of black bears nearby, but it was already dark and their night vision was poor. This place was next to the stream, and after eating salt during the day, they were thirsty for water, so they decided to risk spending the night here.
Zhang Zian had the same thought. The black bear had been gone for a day or two, so it might not come back tonight. His tent was already set up. It was not a good idea to run away in the dark, so he had to get through tonight and leave the place tomorrow.
However, he had to be more vigilant tonight.
The North American black bear was the largest black bear. It was much larger than the Asian black bear that was commonly seen in many urban zoos in China. It was also more aggressive. It was not comparable to the lazy black bears that had been raised by humans in zoos.
When a wild black bear slapped a man, a dog, or a horseback deer, they would be torn apart by its steel-hook-like claws and lose their ability to resist. The bear's teeth were so powerful that they could easily bite off a human's forearm and calf.
Zhang Zian repeatedly reminded the elfins that once a black bear appeared, they should not fight it head-on. Black bears had rough skin and thick flesh. A few scratches and bites would only tickle them. However, if they were bitten or slapped by a bear, at least half of their life would be gone.
Famous felt the same way. In the Dream World, it had fought side by side with Old Time Tea in the barren mountains to protect the merchants from the threat of wolves. They had driven the wolves deep into the mountains, but that was because wolves were very smart. When they thought that the loss of the battle was greater than the gain, they would wisely choose to retreat. Bears were different. Once a bear was injured, it would become wild and rush forward with no regard for its own life. It was like a reckless man with a brain full of muscles.
Next, they boiled water, cooked, rested, and did whatever they had to do. They just had to look up at the dark woods from time to time.
Famous volunteered to sleep outside the tent. It was responsible for guarding the campfire. If the campfire showed signs of extinguishing, it would wake Zhang Zian up to add firewood or accelerant.
It was destined to be a sleepless night. Even when Zhang Zian lay down in his sleeping bag, his eyes were still open. If he turned over and lay on his side, he would see a few other pairs of blinking eyes.
Even Richard, who was blind, did not dare to close its eyes. It was like a blind man who knew that a crisis was imminent but could only resign itself to fate. Zhang Zian only hoped that it would not be scared to the point of peeing its pants at the slightest sound.
Just like that, Zhang Zian made it through the first half of the night. He woke up in the middle of the night to add more firewood. It was damp, cold, and foggy outside the tent. It was fine for Famous to stay by the fire.
The herd of horseback deer stopped on the grass by the stream, standing or lying down. The young deer folded their legs under their abdomens and slept, but the leading deer was just standing and pretending to sleep. When it heard the movement, it opened its eyes and looked in Zhang Zian's direction.
On the horizontal branch above their heads, the spotted owl opened its large eyes that were like searchlights and patrolled its surroundings.
After he added firewood, he went back to the tent.
After midnight, he thought he would be awake for the whole night, but his eyelids began to fight. One reason was because he was tired during the day, and the other was because he unconsciously relaxed. He subconsciously thought that dawn was not too far away. A few hours passed in a flash.
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he was suddenly woken up by a loud roar. It was Famous. It was close by, intending to warn him.
His body instinctively wanted to jump up, but the sleeping bag restricted his movements. His body was only able to sit up.
The elfins in the tent were all awake. Pi squeaked and shrank into the corner. Richard screamed and flew around. It was a mess.
He didn't care about getting out of the sleeping bag. He first unzipped the tent and let Fina, Old Time Tea, and Vladimir leave the tent first. He couldn't let the bears come and rob them.
When they rushed out of the tent, he crawled out of the sleeping bag.
The sky was not bright yet, and the campfire was very weak. Famous kept barking in the direction of the deer.
The deer were also barking. The male deer were loud, and the female deer were sharp. All the deer were running around in the dark.
Zhang Zian turned on the tactical flashlight. A bright and highly concentrated beam of light cut through the darkness and shone straight into the woods. It locked onto a huge dark figure.
Sure enough, it was an adult male black bear, weighing close to 400 pounds. It was an out-and-out killer of the forest.
The black bear spewed white gas from its mouth. Taking advantage of the deer's poor vision at night, it launched an attack from below. Its roar shook the sky.
Although the black bear was heavy, it was not slow at all. Whether it encountered thorns or branches blocking its way, it rushed straight through. However, the deer panicked in the dark and were chased by the black bear to the denser forest, which was the direction of the tent. The denser the forest, the more difficult it was for the deer to escape.
Especially the leading male deer. In order to protect the female deer and the young deer, it shook the antlers on its head and bravely stayed behind to confront the black bear. If the opponent was a single coyote, wolf, or cougar, it would have the power to fight. Even winning was not impossible. However, the opponent was a male adult black bear. Its resistance was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"Get out of the way! Hide behind the tree! "Zhang Zian shouted.
He was not shouting at the male deer. Anyway, the male deer could not understand him. He was shouting at the elfins because the frightened deer were running towards the tent. If they were hit by a female deer or a young deer, they would at least have a fracture. They might even be knocked unconscious and trampled. If they were hit by a young male deer with long horns … they might be cut open on the spot.
After shouting, he led by example and jumped behind the nearest tree, using the trunk to block his body. He also pulled Pi and Richard along.
The other elfins reacted faster and were more agile. They understood the danger they were about to face. They hid behind the tree or directly jumped up the tree to avoid the impact of the deer.
The running deer extinguished the bonfire and kicked over the tent. Fortunately, they did not step on the backpack. Otherwise, the drone would have been scrapped.
After the deer crossed the border, Zhang Zian poked his head out from behind the tree and looked in the direction of the black bear.
The leading male deer successfully covered the escape of the deer. It knew that it was no match for the black bear. If it dragged on, it would die, so it turned around and ran in this direction.
Because the bonfire was trampled out, the only light in the forest was Zhang Zian's flashlight.
The male deer had just run a few steps when it heard a crack. Its tall antlers and low branches twisted together.
It whined and fell on its back.
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