Chapter 725 - 14: The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might

Chapter 725: Chapter 14: The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might

Summer is the peak tourist season for Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton.

By late October, the weather had turned cool.

But it was still a good month for sightseeing. Not only could you see the charming autumn colors, but you could also observe a large number of wild animals.

Animals like elk entered their breeding season, engaging in a great deal of courtship behavior. Grizzly bears also became highly active, storing up energy for hibernation.

Just now, for instance, Tian Kui and his group, weaving through the coniferous forest, had encountered a North American Grizzly Bear.

The autumn wind howled through the treetops.

Tian Kui narrowed his eyes slightly, stopping to observe the grizzly bear forty meters away.

He could recognize what kind of creature it was.

Shen Xin had mentioned it in a previous "lecture," saying it was a grizzly bear and that they couldn’t beat it. If they encountered one, they should do their best to go around.

But one of them was eager for a fight.

A troublemaking subordinate egged Tian Kui on, suggesting they start a fight to test the bear’s strength.

[Okay.]

Tian Kui nodded.

This simpleton, a mottled male dog, saw Tian Kui nod and actually started running forward.

But after two steps, he realized Tian Kui and the others hadn’t followed.

Tian Kui, in particular, was giving him a look one reserves for an idiot.

He immediately trotted back, looking dejected.

At such a close distance, the bear had obviously spotted Tian Kui long ago and now turned its head in their direction.

Its eyesight might not be clear, but it could definitely smell them.

Generally speaking, grizzly bears rarely hunt medium- to large-sized animals.

Especially with an opponent like a gray wolf, it usually ends in a stalemate where neither can overpower the other.

Grizzly bears, however, often steal food from gray wolves. They know the wolves are helpless against them and will ultimately be forced to share.

And right now, this very grizzly bear was in the middle of a robbery.

It was sitting under a thick, dying pine tree, next to a red squirrel’s nest that it had dug up and destroyed.

Red squirrels are extremely territorial. They typically find a suitable tree and build a huge nest around its base using pinecone husks, bark, and branches.

Once the nest is complete, they never leave it.

It serves as their food cache, the very foundation of their survival.

And before winter, to store up energy for hibernation, a grizzly bear’s favorite food is the nut of the whitebark pine—rich in fat and packed with energy.

They can’t gather large quantities on their own, so they rely mainly on robbing red squirrels.

This was a perfect example.

This red squirrel’s nest had been brutally torn open. Its owner, a brightly colored red squirrel, perched on a branch a few steps away, watching the grizzly bear raid its pantry. It was hopping up and down in fury, looking like it wanted to fight the bear to the death.

Just as Tian Kui was about to lead his pack around the scene, Teddy flapped his wings, landed on a rock a few meters away, and chirped urgently at him.

They weren’t the same species, after all.

If it were Da Mei, who had claws and an agile body, she could at least gesture vividly if words failed.

But Teddy couldn’t do that. Who knew what he was trying to say by flapping his wings?

[Are you in danger?]

Tian Kui could only guess. Seeing Teddy’s urgent reaction, he suspected there was danger and subconsciously glanced up at the sky.

The problem was, Teddy didn’t understand Tian Kui either and also had to guess.

Seeing Tian Kui’s reaction, Teddy knew at once that he’d misunderstood. He flew over, landed on Tian Kui’s back, and tugged at his fur.

[Run!]

Even the distant grizzly bear turned its head to look in another direction.

The tug hurt, but Tian Kui understood immediately.

In Tian Kui’s eyes, Teddy had a gentle nature. He wouldn’t attack any animal unless the situation was dire.

’Like... danger?’

Tian Kui was instantly on alert. His nose twitched, sifting through the chaotic scents of the forest for any trace of danger.

The next moment, Tian Kui caught a whiff of an unusual scent.

Or rather, a familiar one.

He whipped his head around, looking downwind.

They were approaching from downwind, a tactic meant to conceal their scent. The fact that he could smell them at all meant they were already far too close.

Less than fifty meters away, figures were charging through the tall grass.

The one in the lead, lean and agile, was none other than the Wolf King they had encountered a few days ago.

[Run!]

Tian Kui barked urgently and bolted.

A white female dog reacted too slowly.

The Wolf King, seeing he’d been spotted, immediately accelerated and lunged for the white female.

With a fierce howl, Tian Kui changed direction and launched himself through the air.

They had clashed before, so the Wolf King was wary of Tian Kui.

He skidded to a halt, ducking to evade before turning to lunge back at Tian Kui.

The white female, now free, quickly escaped.

Tian Kui had no intention of lingering. Even as he moved to intercept, he anticipated the Wolf King’s counter. As he landed, before his hind legs even touched down, he executed a nimble hop, perfectly dodging the wolf’s lunge.

Then he bolted.

He guessed the entire pack had come out—all eleven gray wolves.

His own side only had five dogs and one bird; they were severely outnumbered.

He ran with all his might, barking at Teddy in the air to signal for help while simultaneously letting out a long howl to summon his other pack members.

Over the past few days, all the animals had been sent out to patrol.

If they were lucky, police dogs from other units would be nearby.

Tian Kui whipped his head around.

It was the alpha female, leading two other gray wolves, cutting in at high speed from their flank to block their escape.

[Boss, what do we do?]

[Let’s fight them!]

[Yeah! What’s there to be scared of?]

His followers clustered around him like a raging current, communicating swiftly as they ran.

Tian Kui remained silent, veering sharply to the left in an attempt to break the encirclement while silently calculating their next move.