Because they had chased after the smell of the dead cat, Zhang Zian and the others had deviated from their previous route. Although they could have continued to walk there, considering that it was more convenient to go upstream to get water, he decided to turn back.
Maybe it was because they had seen their own kind die, but the mood of the cat elfins was a little heavy.
Richard had no feelings for ordinary cats, but it was gloating in its heart because these stray cats usually posed a great threat to birds, including parrots. Many parrots raised at home were eventually killed by cats. It was gloating in its heart, but it didn't dare to say it out loud.
Returning to the starting point where it had first smelled the dead cat, Famous looked in another direction and asked, "The smell is coming from that direction. Should we chase after it and see?"
"Forget it, let's not go. The cat has been bitten for at least 12 hours. Even if we chase after it, we may not be able to find any clues."
Although the cat's death was quite strange, Zhang Zian didn't want to continue to waste time on it. It was better to solve the problem first.
The elfins didn't object. In the wild, the strong preyed on the weak. It was either hunting or being hunted. Hadn't they almost become the prey of coyotes last night? Humans were no exception. Once they entered the primeval forest, they would become part of the natural ecological chain. They couldn't blame anyone if they were eaten by beasts.
Even if they followed the smell and found the killer of the cat, which was likely to be a large beast, what could they do? Fight it and let it pay with its life?
After entering the forest, Zhang Zian had been talking to them about the ecological chain and why he had hesitated to save the leader of the herd of red deer. This gave them a new understanding of how nature worked. This was a problem they had never thought about before.
This problem was difficult to explain in the desolate desert, but the rich primeval forest was the best classroom.
As they walked, a breeze blew, and the elfins stopped almost at the same time. Even Zhang Zian's nose vaguely smelled a strange smell.
The wind brought with it a rancid smell.
After the cat died, the body had not yet shown any signs of decay. Perhaps the anaerobic bacteria had already begun to decompose the internal organs, but at least it wasn't visible on the surface. And this smell … If someone hadn't built a septic tank nearby, it was probably the smell of the highly decomposed body of a large animal.
Zhang Zian and the elfins did not speak. They tacitly changed their direction and followed the smell.
After turning around a forest, the rancid smell became stronger and stronger, and Zhang Zian felt nauseous. He had to cover his mouth and nose with a towel to stop himself from retching.
Elves have a more sensitive sense of smell, but they don't physically feel like humans do.
On the other hand, the herd of deer that had been following behind faintly felt nervous and uneasy. They hesitated and did not follow, staying where they were to gnaw on the grass.
As he walked through the forest, his eyes suddenly opened up. A small clearing appeared in front of him.
Amidst the shady green grass lay the carcass of a large animal. It was a deer.
From Zhang Zian's angle, he couldn't see the deer's complete body because it no longer had a complete body. However, from the snow-white color at the bottom of the deer's tail, he could roughly guess that it was a white-tailed deer.
Not only did they see the deer corpse, but they also saw several coyotes tearing the carrion next to the deer corpse.
The coyotes also saw them and looked at them across the deer's corpse.
Canines have the nature to protect their food. Domesticated pet dogs, if not repeatedly trained by their owners, would often bite their owners even if their owners touched their food when they were eating.
The same was true for the coyotes. This deer was enough for them to fill their stomachs, so they did not intend to attack Zhang Zian. However, if Zhang Zian intended to snatch their food, then they would certainly not be polite.
Zhang Zian, of course, was not interested in the rotten deer corpse. He saw this situation and did not want to have an unnecessary conflict with these coyotes. He was about to call the elfins to leave when he suddenly saw the deer's eyes.
He raised his binoculars and took a closer look.
The deer died with its eyes wide open. Its grayish-white eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of dust.
He put down his binoculars, gestured to the elfins, and whispered, "This is probably a deer infected with prion proteins and died of disease. Let's retreat quickly."
The elfins were not afraid of the coyotes, but the mysterious and incurable prion proteins kept them at a distance. So they turned and retreated, even if it was a sign of weakness in the eyes of the coyotes.
"Zian, it doesn't seem right to let the coyotes eat the sick deer, right?" Old Time Tea said.
What Old Time Tea meant was that the coyotes might be infected with prion proteins and continue to spread in the ecological chain.
"There is a problem, but we can't do anything about it. Self-preservation is important."
Zhang Zian knew this, but what could he do? The US officials were helpless. He could stop this time, but how could he stop the dead deer in the entire forest from being eaten by scavengers?
Before leaving, he took one last look at the dead deer and the coyotes.
At that moment, a dark shadow suddenly jumped out of the opposite woods. While the coyotes' attention was focused on Zhang Zian, the shadow fell on a coyote in the blink of an eye and bit the coyote's neck.
Zhang Zian and the coyotes were all shocked. He quickly raised the binoculars again, fine-tuned the focus, and clearly saw the new uninvited guest from the image of the lens.
It was the largest wild canine in the world – the North American gray wolf. Not only was it much larger than the coyotes, but it was also stronger than its relatives in Eurasia.
Some pet dogs that had been selectively bred by humans to become larger and larger were even larger and heavier than the North American gray wolf, such as the Great Dane and various mastiffs. Therefore, the North American gray wolf was the largest wild canine, and the word "wild" could not be ignored.
The North American gray wolf looks very similar to the coyote, but when put together, its weight is at least equivalent to 1.5 coyotes. The outline of the body is two times larger than the coyote, and the strength of its strong neck is strong enough to bite the coyote's neck, which has fallen into the prey, and bite the coyote.
Zhang Zian immediately remembered the wolf howl last night. Was it the howl of this North American gray wolf?
The remaining coyotes saw that their companions were captured by their natural enemies. They were afraid and did not want to give up their companions. They surrounded their natural enemies in a fan shape and barked at the gray wolf.
The elfins heard the movement and came back. They also saw the big gray wolf.
Through the binoculars, Zhang Zian noticed an eye-catching gadget on the gray wolf's neck. He couldn't help but be stunned because it was a collar.
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